Australia
September 5, 2015
Photo: M. Fagg, ANBG
Partnership teams head out to extend Australia’s conservation seed bank collections
Planning efforts are heating up for this year’s seed collecting trips across the continent by teams from the Australian Seed Bank Partnership. It will be the fourth year in which partner teams utilise their regional expertise in tracking down native plants species to contribute to our ‘1000 Species Project’, which aims to add new plant taxa to Australia’s conservation seed banks to support research and aid species recovery efforts. These field efforts also enhance understanding of the seed production, phenology and habitat of the target species. The fieldwork is supported by the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew.
This year teams will pursue at least 100 new species in 31 biogeographical regions (about 1/3 of all regions nationwide). From the Western Australian Pilbara to the Sydney basin in the east, from the Northern Queensland pastoral districts of Cook and North Kennedy to the South West of WA. To target these species, teams will visit and collect in a diverse range of habitat types, tropical rainforests, sandstone shrublands, woodlands and heath to name just a few.
Collection efforts will target taxa identified as these of high conservation significance in EPBC Act and/or State and Territory legislation, as well as endemic taxa with limited ranges and those with economic potential. Many of these species are at risk due to threats such as habitat loss and development, drought and invasive species.
Epacris sparsa, commonly known as Sparse Heath, (Photo: M. Fagg, ANBG) is an example of a species on the target list in NSW. This small shrub with its conspicuous, tubular, whitish flowers is restricted to riparian sandstone scrub habitats in the lower Grose River (Photo: J. Plaza, RBGDT). It is listed as vulnerable under both the EPBC Act and NSW legislation. Furthermore, it is threatened by upstream development affecting pollution in runoff and sediment loads, as well as by fires and invasion and habitat loss from riparian weeds.
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