Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria scientists are racing against time to save endangered plant species in the Grampians national park following recent bushfires. The team will collect seeds and cuttings from threatened species to store in the Victorian Conservation Seedbank and RBGV's living collections, aiming to prevent further losses due to climate change and frequent fires.
The Grampians bitter-pea is one five priority species of a plant rescue mission being undertaken in the Victorian national park following devastating bushfires.The Grampians bitter-pea is one five priority species of a plant rescue mission being undertaken in the Victorian national park following devastating bushfires.
When conditions improve, a team of botanists and horticulturalists will assess the damage and collect seeds and cuttings from threatened species to store in the Victorian Conservation Seedbank, a repository of seeds and spores from native plants, and the RBGV’s living collections. At a community level, fire shapes vegetation structure, she says, allowing light to come in, and creates niches and opportunities for new species to germinate.Plumanns Pouton, who is not involved in the RBGV work, says many plants in the Grampians region have evolved strategies for dealing with fire. After a burn, some resprout from their trunk or from woody lignotubers lying underground, while others have dormant seeds that open and germinate under heat or smoke.
“The federal government in Australia has committed to no new extinctions,” she says. “But we have hundreds, maybe thousands of different plant species that exist in just a few square kilometres, and if two fires come through too quickly, they’re done.” Even relatively common, fire-adapted species can struggle to survive when intervals between fires are too short. “They’re not going to be able to handle absolutely everything you throw at them,” Fairman says.. After those megafires, RBGV staff – supported by government funding – collected 105 threatened species from the fire scar: 72 in the form of seeds, with the remainder as cuttings for orcharding in living collections.
Bushfires Conservation Endangered Species Grampians National Park Climate Change
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