CASE STUDY:
Australian Network for Plant Conservation

The goal of the Australian Network for Plant Conservation (ANPC) since its inception in 1991 has been to provide people around Australia with the opportunity to promote their own conservation work and to learn from the work of others. It has succeeded in doing this and it has become noted for its ability to attract a wide range of participants.

From the late 1980s to 1995, I played an important part in the co-founding and early development of the ANPC and in doing so promoted the concept of integrated plant conservation in Australia. This early involvement included the development of the concept of an Australia wide endangered species collection based in the country’s main botanic gardens with the purpose of playing its role in the conservation of wild populations and the promotion of these plants to the public. This work included the holding of both conferences and training workshops and the production of Australia’s first plant conservation journal, Australasian Plant Conservation (previously entitled Danthonia). 

While developing the Australian Network for Plant Conservation I also co-authored one of the first recovery plans for an endangered Australian plant species, namely Grevillea iaspicula, which provided an initial national format. As a part of this plan, the distribution of the Grevillea was mapped throughout the region of its occurrence and numerous new, though small, populations were recorded for the first time.

In addition to the description of the species, its distribution, its threats and recommendations to ensure its continued survival in its natural habitats, considerable work was also done to establish off-site (or ex situ) collections of the species that represented the various populations. This was done because none of the populations were actually in a reserve at the time. In addition, the Grevillea was introduced into the nursery industry to promote its importance and the potential use of endangered native species in horticulture and it is now available from SE Queensland to Adelaide.

Other projects:
Australian National Botanic Gardens
Alice Springs Desert Park
Tanami Desert
Indian Small Grants Program (IBGN)