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Volume 7, Number 4, March 1999 The contents of this issue are as follows. Only selected articles are reproduced here in full. For further information, or to obtain copies of the full issue, please contact us.
Introducing the Vice President of ANPC Inc. David Given, Vice President, ANPC, and Chair, IUCN Species Survival Commission Plant Conservation Subcommittee It is often said that "familiarity breeds contempt" and sometimes we do only give things their full value when they are out of reach. The cookie in the cookie jar becomes far more attractive and mouth watering when the cookie jar is on the top shelf! I have felt like this during most of February when I was a lecturer with Heritage Expeditions on their Antarctic expedition ship. Locked into a polar environment with 46 tourists and staff is a fascinating experience and personally I enjoy it. But there comes a yearning for things green. Travelling back to New Zealand we landed for one day at Enderby Island in the Auckland Islands group and it seemed that Enderby was never more fresh looking, green and lush. Too often plants are taken for granted. There was a time when I probably felt that I had to be a little apologetic about being a botanist. After all, botanists do not study the exciting things in life like tigers, orang-utans and coral reefs. A little wiser and considerably older, I now realise that plants do "do things", that they underpin all life on earth, that the sex life of orchids is exciting stuff, and that plants such as Rafflesia, bristlecone pine and subantarctic megaherbs are spectacular "oo-ah" parts of biodiversity. In other words there is no need to apologise for plants for being a field botanist. In fact, the period since my own PhD studies in the 1960s has been an exciting one. When I was a student there was no formal discipline of conservation biology, biodiversity had not been coined as a word, and "hot spots" were not even a winkle in anyone's imagination. Botanic gardens in the 1960s were only just starting to move away from their traditional roles, and computers were generally something in the mind of science fiction writers. All this has changed and with it has come both increased responsibility for preservation of the world of nature and increased opportunities to do so. ANPC has been an innovative world leader as a national network which links people and institutions working at a range of levels in plant conservation. It bridges the gaps between government and non-government agencies, policy research and practical hands-on conservation, educators and "do-ers". My personal belief is that to make a difference to the world we live in we need to do three things above all else - we need to listen and learn, we need to develop and equip people now rather than searching for the ultimate methodology and system, and we need to facilitate practical and people-based outcomes where there is a real sense of ownership by stakeholders and communities. My personal interests range from the very local such as botanical surveys of farmland, through regional and national with university teaching and policy development to global with involvement with the Species Survival Commission plant conservation programme. I am personally challenged by the opportunity to serve as Vice-President for ANPC, especially if it can help raise awareness of ANPC in the international community, as well as helping to bring New Zealand and Australia closer in their plant conservation vision. Fortunately, e-mail and other communication systems have decreased trans-Tasman distances, and I do get to Australia moderately often. So, I look forward to meeting with many more in the ANPC network in the future and to being closer involved with a very forward-looking group of people. Acacia whibleyana and Brachycome muelleri: Conservation Biology Reports for Two Endangered Species from South Australia's Eyre Peninsula Dr Manfred Jusaitis, Plant Biodiversity Centre, Adelaide, and Trudy O'Connor, Student Botanical Intern, Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research, Canberra. Both Brachycome muelleri and Acacia whibleyana are listed as nationally endangered, and endemic to small areas on South Australia's Eyre Peninsula. Black Hill Flora Centre have recently published two reports on these species as part of the Australian National Parks and Wildlife Service Endangered Species Program; Conservation Biology of Acacia whibleyana by Manfred Jusaitis and Birgitte Sorensen, and Conservation Biology of Brachycome muelleri, by Jusaitis, Sorensen and Lesley Polomka. Each of these focuses on one species, its ecology and biology, threatening factors, propagation and management recommendations. Acacia whibleyana, The Whibley Wattle, is a dense shrub which grows to 2.5 metres in height and 4 metres diameter. While inconspicuous for much of the year, during the spring flowering season it is covered with golden spherical inflorescences typical of the Acacia genus. This species has a very restricted distribution, being found only in an area near Tumby Bay on South Australia's Eyre Peninsula. It has been rated by International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) criteria (1994) as being Critically Endangered. Surveys undertaken as part of this project located a total of 322 plants in two separate populations. Most of these individuals were in somewhat disturbed areas, including roadside verges, a disused quarry and on grazed land. Study methods included vehicle-based surveys, soil collection and description and measurement of plant growth, flowering, seed production and dispersal. In addition, photopoints were established, plots seeded and seedling translocation techniques trialed. Due to the presence of plants near a salt lake, salt tolerance was also studied. It was found that the populations were threatened by human interference, as well as by weed invasion. Weeds reduced both the germination and growth rates of A. whibleyana. Flowering and seed production were quite variable, while the soil seed bank was fairly poor, possibly due to seed predation. Seeds were dispersed by ants, attracted by the fatty aril attached to the seed. Germination trials suggested that scarification of the seeds using a sharp blade or boiling water were effective treatments in achieving high rates of germination. During this study conservation activities included fencing of the main population, spraying of weeds and translocation of plants. Plans for future conservation activities include the control of weeds, and plant translocations to connect roadside populations, as well as the establishment of an ex situ seed bank. Community involvement and education have also been identified as playing important roles in the protection of this very localised species. Brachycome muelleri, the Corunna daisy, is another critically endangered plant species with a very restricted distribution on the Eyre Peninsula. While early collections were made in several South Australian locations, including the Para River, near Gawler and on the Yorke Peninsula, recent collections indicate that the pastoral property Corunna, on the upper Eyre Peninsula now has the only remaining stand of the species. The plant grows on steep south-facing cliff-foot slopes of the Baxter Hills, approximately 5 km from Iron Knob. The plant is an annual, germinating after autumn rains. It grows leaves in a rosette arrangement and reaches a height of up to 20 centimetres when in flower. Brachycome muelleri flowers from late winter to spring, with white florets held above the rosette of leaves. This plant would appear to be in a precarious situation, due to its very restricted distribution, leaving it vulnerable to catastrophic events. Grazing by domestic stock, as well as feral goats and rabbits also constitute potential threats, and the species is not represented in conservation parks. The land manager has instigated an ongoing program of goat control and kangaroo culling. As part of this study, a second population of B. muelleri was translocated to a suitable new site on the western edge of the Baxter Hills. This translocation appears to have been successful, with natural regeneration occurring at the site one year after translocation. The report recommended further targeted surveys and translocations be undertaken, and that weed and animal effects on the original and new populations continue to be monitored to ensure populations remain sustainable. However, because of the extremely delicate nature of the soil substrate at the population sites, it was recommended that recovery actions be handled by small teams of hand-picked experienced people. References IUCN (1994). IUCN Red List Categories. IUCN Species Survival Commission. Gland, Switzerland.
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