8. PRIORITIES FOR IMPLEMENTATION

The preceding chapters of this Plan of Management detail the prescriptions for the management of the Australian National Botanic Gardens for the coming five years. This chapter provides a summary of the major priorities for implementing those prescriptions. In essence, the priorities reflect the intention to maintain and consolidate existing activities and to complete work already in progress before starting work on proposed developments. They also reflect the requirements of efficient public administration, in particular the need to improve the productivity and effectiveness of the Gardens activities. Implementation of the management prescriptions will be dependent however on the resources made available to the Gardens.

For each of the aims of the Gardens, numbered as in Chapter 1, the priorities are listed in descending order and cross-referenced to the section of the text in which they are discussed. Some of the activities relate to more than one of the listed aims so there is some unavoidable duplication in the listing.

  1. to maintain and develop integrated living and herbarium collections of Australian and related floras

  2. to display the living collections in an educationally useful and attractive setting that enables people to enjoy and appreciate the recreational and horticultural values of botanic gardens

  3. to encourage people of all ages, abilities and backgrounds to enjoy botanic gardens

  4. to provide an information resource for government, industry, science and the community

  5. to conduct and encourage research on the collections

  6. to promote the protection, conservation and wise use of Australia's flora

  7. to foster understanding of Australia's plant heritage and its environmental and cultural values

  8. to provide a national focus for, and cooperate with other organisations in, matters concerning botanic gardens and herbaria

  9. to maintain an accountable, efficient and flexible organisation that is responsive to clients and provides opportunities and encouragement for staff