Insuring against future loss
The Australian Seed Bank Partnership and its collaborators including the ANPC undertook this project to limit the decline of 25 Australian plant species from areas affected by the 2019-2020 bushfires. These species are in multiple states, with fire affected areas in Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia, New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory.
The project ‘Banking on seeds for bushfire recovery’ included extensive activities in seed collection, propagation, reintroductions, germination trials and rapid flora assessments. There was a focus on ex situ conservation by banking seeds and improving genetic diversity in Australian seed bank collections.
Project activities
To communicate the findings of the project to a wide audience, the ANPC prepared various communication materials. These materials included a slideshow video, case study articles for the Spring and Summer 2021 Australasian Plant Conservation bulletins, social media posts and fact sheets on 6 species conserved through the project.
The fact sheets provide a 2-page overview of each species and detail the conservation measures undertaken by the partners through this project. The 6 species chosen for the fact sheets were:
- Olearia flocktoniae (Dorrigo daisy bush)
- Stylidium tepperianum (Kangaroo Island trigger plant)
- Westringia lucida (Shining Westringia)
- Callistemon forresterae (Forrester’s bottlebrush)
- Darwinia squarrosa (Pink mountain bell)
- Velleia perfoliata
You can download the fact sheets and learn more about the project here.
Collaborators
This project was made possible by the commitment of our partner organisations:
The Australian Seed Bank Partnership
The Australian PlantBank, The Australian Botanic Garden, Mt Annan, The Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust
National Seed Bank, Australian National Botanic Gardens, Australian Capital Territory
South Australian Seed Conservation Centre, Botanic Gardens and State Herbarium, South Australia
The Victorian Conservation Seedbank, Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria
The Western Australian Seed Centre, Kensington, Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions
Funding
Funding for this project was received through a grant under Tranche 2 of the Australian Government’s Bushfire Recovery for Wildlife and Habitat Community Grants Program.
