Partnership statement on seed banks responding to bushfires and COVID-19

The 16th of April 2020 marked the beginning of the Royal Commission into the “Black Summer” bushfires which saw more than 10 million hectares of the Australian landscape burn with significant loss of life and property. Native flora and fauna continue to be severely impacted in the wake of the bushfires, including threatened species and the habitats that support them. Together with botanic gardens, the Australian Seed Bank Partnership has had an important role to play in supporting the ecological recovery effort by offering knowledge and advice and identifying seed of native species already conserved in Partnership seed banks in preparation for making collections available to support restoration efforts. Seed banks across the country are also continuing research that will support conservation and restoration of native habitats at risk from the impacts from climate change.

 

Genoplesium superbum resprouting after fire (Image: Gavin Phillips, The Australian PlantBank, Mt Annan, NSW)

The full statement is available to download here: Australian Seed Bank Partnership Statement on bushfire and COVID 19 response