2014
FACT SHEET AND PROJECT UPDATES
Updated 2016 and 2017
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This project involves action to improve the viability of Australian plant species through improved management of plant and seed collections. A national assessment of collections of threatened plant species will support targeted development and enhancement of collections for potential recovery efforts.
Project update
Year 2 update (2-year project)
Overview of progress
- A method to assess the genetic diversity of collections in the Australian National Botanic Gardens (ANBG) was developed and applied to examine how comprehensive the current holdings of threatened plant species are. Data was also acquired on holdings in the Royal Botanic Gardens of New South Wales and Victoria.
- A gap analysis of holdings was conducted to build a list of threatened species to be targeted for additional collection of material. Species were selected based on expanding genetic diversity in existing collections and complementing current species conservation programs.
- Field trips have been undertaken, with help from the Friends of the ANBG volunteers, to collect seeds and cuttings from the list of target species. Significant accessions have been made for 17 threatened plant species, including from multiple populations per species where possible, resulting in a greater capture of genetic diversity.
- The ANBG has partnered with the ACT Government and the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage to initiate recovery actions for the endangered Swainsona recta. The small seed production facility at the ANBG is being upgraded to allow creation of an orchard that will provide seed for future translocations back into the wild.
- A final report will summarise outcomes, including the implications of maximising genetic diversity in ex situ collections for species recovery efforts, using examples from Australian threatened species.
- Planning for the reintroduction of four threatened plant species back into the wild is underway, with two species to be reintroduced this year.
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Year one (2-year project)
Overview of progress
- A method to assess the genetic diversity of the Australian National Botanic Gardens’ collections has been developed.
- The Gardens’ threatened species collection records are being reviewed and updated.
- A process of validating the collection records for Endangered and Vulnerable listed species in the Gardens’ living collection is being undertaken.
- A CSIRO summer student is assessing the genetic diversity of Grevillea wilkinsonii in wild populations and in the Gardens’ collection.
- Assessment of the genetic diversity of the Gardens’ living collection will be finalised.
- Twenty species will be targeted for further research. These will be selected based on expanding diversity in existing collections and complementing species conservation programs.
The Threatened Species Commissioner has mobilised $355,000 to save threatened Australian plants through two projects-one to identify genetic gaps in the plant collections safeguarded by botanic gardens, and the other to review recovery plans and identify processes threatening rare plants in Commonwealth national parks. This is the first of those projects.
Project
A national assessment of insurance (ex-situ) collections of threatened plant species will be carried out to check their genetic resilience. This will inform future collections to support national plant recovery efforts.
Funding
$240,000
Partners
This work will be undertaken by staff of the Australian National Botanic Gardens and Parks Australia. It will be done in consultation with the Council of Heads of Australian Botanic Gardens.
Background
Australia has a great network of botanic gardens, spearheaded by the Australian National Botanic Gardens which grows about 300 nationally-listed threatened species. However, a question remains about the genetic resilience of these collections. Plants from a single source can have a different genetic makeup and response to different environmental conditions. In the past, seed and young plants have often been taken from a single site, and then propagated in botanic gardens. This means the species may be preserved, but we could be at risk of losing the genetic diversity and resilience that allows these plants to thrive over time. This project will identify opportunities for developing insurance collections that support the conservation of threatened species, including through providing source material for recovery efforts.
Species to benefit
Nationally threatened plant species.