A two-stage Fenner Conference on the Environment has brought experts together to explore options for plant recovery and protection in Australia, New Zealand and across the broader region.
‘Exceptional times, exceptional plants’ was held over two sessions: one during the Australasian Seed Science Conference in September 2021, and the other in a hybrid meeting at the Shine Dome in June 2022.
The 2021 workshop provided an opportunity for scientists and organisations to better understand which Australasian plant species need alternatives to seed banking.
Presenters explained the range of ex situ conservation options available including seed banking, living collections, cryopreservation and tissue culture. These methods for conserving plant germplasm can help facilitate species recovery and protect species from extinction.
The 2022 hybrid event hosted at the Academy’s Shine Dome focused on Australia and was attended by representatives from a range of career stages and organisations.
Participants spoke about the project outputs and impact of the third edition of ‘Plant Germplasm Conservation in Australia’, and discussed complementary methods of ex situ conservation, in addition to seed banking.
A significant outcome of the conference was recognition that both formal guidelines such as the Germplasm Guidelines, and peer-reviewed journal papers, are essential information sources for conservation of exceptional species.
Databases, such as those maintained by the Australian Seed Bank Partnership are also key to sharing information.
Annual Fenner conferences on the environment bring together those with relevant scientific, administrative and policy expertise to consider current environmental and conservation problems in Australia, with the aim of contributing to the formation of policies that can alleviate some of these problems. The Academy established the conferences series with the generous support of the late Professor Frank Fenner AC CMG MBE FAA FRS and the late Mrs Bobbie Fenner.
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