Everyone working to conserve native plants outside their natural habitats now has access to up-to-date research and evidence-based guidelines as the new edition of ‘Plant Germplasm Conservation in Australia’ was released on the 7th September. The Australian Network for Plant Conservation and the Australian Seed Bank Partnership joined forces with the restoration and agriculture sectors, botanic gardens, CSIRO and universities to produce the publication, which was generously funded by The Ian Potter Foundation.

Dr Paul Smith, Secretary General of Botanic Gardens Conservation International, who wrote the foreword, says the new guidelines are timely: “The emergence of new pests and diseases, such as Myrtle Rust, the increasing frequency and intensity of bushfires, and recurring extreme weather trends and events are not just confined to Australia. They are a worldwide phenomenon. This gives added urgency to our mission to conserve and manage plants for future generations. Fortunately, we continue to learn from what does and doesn’t work and – crucially – to share that learning through publications like this.”