The Australian PlantBank staff share their expertise and provide training to support seed conservation, horticultural and scientific research.
Over the past two years, Australian PlantBank staff have been working closely with their OEH colleagues from the “Saving our Species” (SoS) program to secure collections from populations of priority species. PlantBank staff conduct one-day workshops on seed conservation to enable SoS staff working locally to make a significant contribution to the ex situ conservation of their species, with the support and guidance of PlantBank staff.
For more details contact PlantBank curator Graeme Errington.
Australian PlantBank curator Graeme Errington and Jason Halford from the Brisbane Botanic Gardens, Mount Coot-tha in Queensland joined with Te Tira Whakamātaki (the Māori Biosecurity Network) and the Millennium Seed Bank Partnership (MSBP; RBG Kew) to deliver training in seed conservation techniques and identification of species susceptible to the impact of Austropuccinia psidii (Myrtle Rust) in December 2017. You can read more about this workshop in "News from the Australian Seed Bank Partnership" (Australasian Plant Conservation 26(4): 24-25).
Staff from PlantBank were key partners in the ANPC’s ‘Plants Going Places’ translocation workshop in Sydney in August 2017.
PlantBank curator Graeme Errington presenting at the Australian Seed Bank Partnership's Myrtle Rust workshop.
Participants at the Australian Seed Bank Partnership's Myrtle Rust workshop.
Specialist seed training for OEH Saving our Species staff in the PlantBank classroom.
Seed training for OEH staff in the field at the Australian Botanic Garden, Mount Annan.
Seed collector Gavin Phillips presenting to OEH staff in the PlantBank laboratory.
Seedbank assistant Katherine Willis takes participants through practical seed handling exercises.
Participants use a microscope to examine seeds during specialist training courses.