The humble land snail can be an important environmental
indicator. Malacologist Dr Frank Kohler reports on the first
ever land snail survey in Timor-Leste, conducted during the
Museum's terrestrial expedition. Why is the Australian Museum in
Timor-Leste? To assist with conservation planning and more.
Timor-Leste's land snail fauna is very poorly documented and
only a handful of species have been reported until recently.
Even if they're not amongst your favourite garden pets, land
snails represent a significant proportion of overall
biodiversity and are an important element of the food chain in
all kinds of natural habitats. Moreover, because many land
snails have quite specific habitat requirements with respect to
moisture, soil type, elevation and habitat structure and so
forth, they are also considered good environmental indicators.
Such indicator species, for example, may tell us about the
condition of ecosystems and the effects of disturbances relating
to land use or climate change. What little is known s