Australasian Plant Conservation (formerly Danthonia)

Originally published in Danthonia 9(2), September 2000

National Coordinator's Report

Jeanette Mill, ANPC National Coordinator

The new ANPC plant conservation email listserver has been a great success. Already over 150 people have subscribed. An average of one message a day has been posted, ranging from enquiries about weed control to announcements about grants, and requests for experts on the world's top 100 invasive species. Several of the messages have prompted an excellent range of responses, and any relevant responses I will post to the list. To subscribe or post anything to the list please contact us. Over the last couple of months we have been giving the ANPC website a major overhaul. A new all-singing, all-dancing website will be launched in late September, complete with stunning photos of threatened plants, and even more information about plant conservation in Australia, and overseas. So keep an eye out at www.anbg.gov.au/anpc

Spreading the word

Articles by ANPC have been published in several national and international publications in the last few months, including the inaugural edition of the journal Ecological Management and Restoration, and the AMEEF Best Practice 2000 Year Book.

Henry Nix honoured

Professor Henry Nix, founding Chair of the ANPC Advisory Committee and member of the ANPC Management Committee was honoured with an Officer of the Order of Australia award as part of the Queen's Birthday Honours, "for services to the environment, particularly the conservation of natural resources, and to land management through the development and application of simulation models for ecologically sustainable land utilisation." (The Canberra Times, 12th June). A photo and article about Professor Nix's award appeared in the Canberra Times. Congratulations Henry!

CHABG funding

The ANPC received a grant from the Council of Heads of Australian Botanic Gardens Career Development Grant Scheme for 1999/2000. Funds will be used to subsidise the participation costs of staff from botanic gardens at ANPC training courses. The ANPC is very grateful to CHABG for its recognition of the ANPC's key role in providing quality plant conservation training.

AGM and committee nominations

Notice of the second ANPC Inc. Annual General Meeting is announced in inserts in this issue. As the two-year term of the first ANPC Inc Committee is almost complete, nominations for Committee members are also being called for in the inserts in this issue of Danthonia. These are important ANPC issues, so please read the material. A quorum of 20 is required at the AGM, so your attendance is encouraged. The ANPC constitution can be found on the website.

Banksia award

WildCare, of which the ANPC Tasmanian Regional Group, the Botanical Guardians, forms a component, won a 2000 Banksia Environment Award in June. This is in recognition of the enormous amount of volunteer time Wildcare and the Botanical Guardians have put into the Tasmanian environment. Just one example of the magnitude of this effort is the removal by the BGs of over 40,000 gorse bushes from Schouten Island.

Call for conference hosts

The next ANPC National Conference will be held in late 2001 or early 2002. We are calling for expressions of interest in hosting the conference. Previous conferences have been held in Canberra, Hobart, Coffs Harbour and Albury/Wodonga, so the fifth one should be in a region not previously catered for. The 1999 conference was billed as a great success. Hosting the conference in your area is a great way of showcasing the plant conservation work you are involved in, and facilitating vital local, and national, networking. If you are interested in hosting this exciting conference, contact us at the National Office and we can provide you with information about what hosting the conference will involve.

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