ANNUAL REPORT 2023–24
Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens
Credit R Harcourt
BGANZ
WELCOME
On behalf of the Board, I am pleased to present the Annual Report for 2023–2024 This year has been an important year of consolidation, strategic growth and renewed commitment to the mission and focus of BGANZ. With an intent to build strong foundations for future years, we have invested in building our capability and increasing our influence Key actions have included recruiting a new CEO, Cassandra Nichols, understanding the needs of members through a member's survey and committing to a renewed focus on delivering exceptional value for members Crucial to our continued growth was achieving Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) status enabling us to receive tax deductible donations, supported by a brand refresh, to better reflect who we are
As the peak body for botanic gardens in the region, we have continued to lead initiatives that foster collaboration and innovation across the sector We have supported our strong network of professionals through forums and in person events, released new resources to support the ongoing conservation work of members, harnessed garden data to advance plant conservation, and raised the sector’s profile through another successful Botanic Gardens Day
This work would not have been possible without the very generous support and leadership of our Diamond Sponsors, Australian National Botanic Gardens, Botanic Gardens & Parks Authority, Botanic Gardens of Sydney and Royal Botanic Gardens of Victoria, for which we are truly grateful.
I would also like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to Cassandra, Rebecca Harcourt and the Board of BGANZ, especially our retiring directors, Chris Russell and Rohan Butler for their work in supporting BGANZ’s purpose
Both Chris and Rohan have made a significant contribution to steering the growth and development of BGANZ over many years I will miss their wisdom and guidance.
As we look to the year ahead, we are excited by the opportunities to grow and expand our impact, to support our member gardens, and to
Mayfield Garden, NSW
Credit Mayfield Garden
2023–2024
WHOWEARE
BGANZ is the peak body representing botanic gardens across Australia and New Zealand
Botanic gardens are institutions holding documented collections of living plants for the purpose of scientific research, conservation, display, and/or education They play a significant role in plant conservation through science and research, but importantly they are the interface between plant conservation and the public and are responsible for educating and empowering communities in safeguarding our plants They provide significant benefits to our health and wellbeing and are vital green spaces of social, cultural and heritage value within communities
Botanic gardens are playing an increasingly important role in the biggest challenges facing our future – biodiversity loss, climate adaptation, food security and biosecurity risk.
Operating since 2004, our membership is not limited to botanic gardens but has expanded to allied institutions that share our vision including zoos, councils, cemeteries, nurseries, educational institutions and non-botanic gardens.
We envision a future where every community has access to diverse and healthy plant life, where green spaces are cherished and protected, and where sustainable livelihoods are built around the cultivation and preservation of plants
Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney, NSW Credit R Harcourt
OUR VISION
OUR PURPOSE
To create a future where plants are valued and protected, ensuring a greener, healthier and more resilient world for generations to come.
To unite and strengthen the botanic gardens network, promoting a deeper appreciation for plants and fostering plant conservation to safeguard our natural world
Strategy 2024–2026
Institutional and Associate Member garden sites are represented here
OUR MEMBERS
Operating since 2004, our membership is not limited to botanic gardens but has expanded to allied institutions that share our vision including zoos, councils, cemeteries, nurseries, educational institutions and nonbotanic gardens. 2023–2024
We have over 150 Institutional, Associate, Associate Friends and Individual Members, 90+ of which are botanic gardens and arboreta.
IMPACTATAGLANCE
Over 30 online forums
2 in person meetings
12 online specialist forums
1 toolkit released to all members
BGANZ Threatened Species Specialist Advisory Group formed
2 professional industry webinars.
1 international awarenessraising campaign
4 public webinars.
1 submission to government 2 feasibility studies in progress
2 BGANZ Awards offered
2 magazines published
Member participation in international conferences.
2 supplier partnerships offering member discounts
1 professional development partnership.
Wollongong Botanic Garden, NSW Credit C Nichols
BOTANIC GARDENS DAY2024
MORETHANAGARDEN… PROTECTINGOURPLANTS ANDLANDSCAPES
Botanic Gardens Day is an annual campaign coordinated by BGANZ to raise the profile of botanic gardens. It is a day of celebration to highlight the role of plants in our lives and the important work botanic gardens and arboreta undertake every day to conserve them for future generations.
This year’s theme reflected that botanic gardens and arboreta are not only nice places to visit – they also conduct ecological research, safeguard plant diversity through living collections and seed banks and educate and empower communities in environmental sustainability.
34 gardens participated, holding events across Australia and New Zealand. Our amazing Botanic Gardens Day ambassador Costa Georgiadis hosted 4 public webinars, which saw over 25,000 views, and 2 industry professional webinars were hosted by BGANZ’s Specialist Groups BCARM (BGANZ Collections and Records Management group) and BGEN (BGANZ Botanic Gardens Engagement Network). Media coverage included 5 news articles, 5 radio interviews/shows and 1 mention on TV news.
Some of the garden events this year. Top: Hunter Region BG, NSW; below: WAMA’s Grampians/Gariwerd BG, VIC. Image credits HRBG and WAMA
60 Events
34 Gardens
6 50,000+ Participants Webinars
Costa Georgiadis and Margaret Hildebrand, volunteer school visits educator, Lismore Rainforest Botanic Gardens, NSW
Credit: Friends of LRBG
OURIMPACT
LIVING COLLECTIONS TOOLKIT
The Living Collections Toolkit is the result of a collaboration between BGANZ Victoria and BCARM.
Funded by the Victorian Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action’s Growing Victoria’s Botanic Gardens grants program, the Toolkit is a world-first webbased tool that allows any garden, no matter its size, to easily develop a best-practice informed Living Collections Plan for the assessment, management and development of their living collections.
The aim of the Toolkit is to assist botanic gardens, directors, managers, curators and horticultural staff in the development and implementation of a formal plan for their plant collections
2023–2024
The Toolkit has been developed to work for gardens of all sizes and at all stages, from small regional gardens with half a horticulturist a week through to major capital city gardens and those being established
While the Toolkit is aimed at botanic gardens that do not have a fully developed Living Collections Plan, it also serves as a valuable checklist or reminder for gardens that have well established collection planning documentation and processes.
The Toolkit was released in May 2024 to BGANZ Victorian members and has since been released to all members It is free for all Institutional and Associate members of BGANZ.
A Living Collections Plan is one of the criteria needed to become a formally accredited botanic garden and we are excited to offer a tool that can help elevate our members.
Gargarro Botanic Garden, VIC. Credit
87% of Myrtaceae species listed under the EPBC Act are secured, with 23 listed species yet to be secured
92% of priority species in the Myrtle Rust National Action Plan are secured, with 4 priority species yet to be secured
TACKLING MYRTLE RUST
National Living Collections Database of Myrtle Rust-Susceptible Plant Species
Myrtle Rust, a highly invasive plant disease caused by the introduced fungal pathogen Austropuccinia psidii, poses a serious and urgent threat to Australia’s native biodiversity, including iconic species such as eucalyptus and tea tree from the Myrtaceae family
In response to the persistent threat of this disease, the Council of Heads of Australian Botanic Gardens (CHABG) and BGANZ conducted a survey to determine the status of ex situ Myrtaceae collections across Australia
The survey, supported by the Australian Government's Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, highlights that a significant proportion of Myrtaceae species remain unsecured, and serves as a vital baseline for strategic planning, management, and future research. It will inform policymaking and resource prioritisation for future mitigation efforts The full report is available on our website
62% of accepted Myrtaceae species in the Australian Plant Census are secured in ex situ collections
73% of organisations monitor for Myrtle Rust 46% of organisations have observed the disease
Myrtle Rust Management for Practitioners –open series
BGANZ’s Collections and Records Management group, BCARM, in collaboration with the Australian Network for Plant Conservation and the University of NSW, commenced a quarterly series of informal virtual get-togethers, the Myrtle Rust Management for Practitioners – open series in February 2024, focusing on practical aspects of managing and maintaining a conservation collection of Myrtle Rustsusceptible species.
This series has been funded by the NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water
2023–2024
HORTICULTURE CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE
BGANZ participated in a feasibility study for a Victorian-based Horticulture Centre of Excellence (HCoE) led by the Nursery and Garden Industry Victoria (NGIV)
It is recognised that there are challenges with workforce shortages, quality of training, innovation and best-practice standards across the entire horticulture sector The study scoped the opportunity of an HCoE to facilitate education and training, partnerships, collaboration and research development.
BGANZ coordinated feedback from members in Australia and New Zealand, and contributed the challenges and needs of botanic gardens to the study, advocating for the centre to contain a specific botanic garden division
Recognising there is much work conducted by botanic gardens that is significant to the nursery and agricultural industry, a stronger connection across the sector would be beneficial to all BGANZ will continue to work with NGIV to advance the sector.
SUBMISSION TO NEW ZEALAND GOVERNMENT
BGANZ has made its first submission to government in response to a proposed policy change that would impact the work of botanic gardens in New Zealand
NZ’s Department of Primary Industries opened consultation on the suspension of unused or out-of-date nursery stock import pathways and the reformat of the nursery stock import health standard
BGANZ recognises the importance of reviewing the biosecurity risks associated with the importation of nursery stock into New Zealand However, the blanket approach proposed to suspend import pathways that are not used and/or are out of date would see an extensive list of taxa suspended from import. This would inhibit the vital conservation work being undertaken by botanic gardens in New Zealand
Accordingly, BGANZ submitted feedback on the proposed policy change, reiterating the value botanic gardens play in plant conservation and advocated for the removal of threatened and near-threatened species from the list, consideration of a conservation/research versus commercial import list and/or exemptions made for botanic gardens to ensure Aotearoa remains relevant in a global context of plant conservation The full submission can be read on our website.
GROWING VICTORIA’S BOTANIC GARDENS
Over the last three years, the ‘Growing Victoria’s Botanic Gardens’ (GVBG) grants program, funded by the Victorian Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA), has funded 42 individual projects across 26 Victorian botanic gardens
BGANZ was one of the recipients of these grants, spearheaded by the BGANZ VIC regional group. The grant funding rounds enabled BGANZ to roll out a major living collections database initiative across more than 50% of Victoria’s botanic gardens, significantly uplifting their ability to manage their living collections and participate in conservation.
Additionally, a Living Collections Toolkit was created, which will benefit not only Victorian gardens, but every botanic garden globally, building significant capacity for gardens to manage their living collections with consideration of future climate scenarios
QLD THREATENED PLANT NETWORK
BGANZ QLD members received an introduction to the newly created Queensland Threatened Plant Network. This program will allow for free training in accessing and surveying threatened plant species at sites close to the botanic gardens and will be used to help build understanding of population trends, threats and mitigation strategies.
VALUE OF NSW & ACT BOTANIC GARDENS
BGANZ NSW & ACT undertook a survey gathering information on the holdings of threatened species, in both living and seed collections, for botanic gardens across the state.
Recent compilation of the data found 11 of our NSW and ACT gardens are holding
97% of the NSW listed threatened species. This is invaluable information for advocating the worth of botanic gardens
Gargarro Botanic Garden, VIC Credit A McDonald
2023–2024
CELEBRATINGMEMBERS
BGANZ Young Member Award winner: Meg Awatea Spittal, Horticultural Apprentice, Auckland Botanic Gardens, Aotearoa New Zealand
Meg received the BGANZ Young Member Award 2023, at the start of her horticultural career as a 24-year-old first-year apprentice at the Auckland Botanic Gardens The Awards Selection Panel was impressed with her passion for sustainable garden design and eagerness to further her knowledge in this area. She applied with the aim of using the award to further her long-term dream of becoming a collections curator She used the award to help pay for two online courses on Planting Design with Perennials and Perennial Management, The Piet Oudolf Way, presented by Dr Noel Kingsbury. You can read her report in the Winter 2024 issue of THE BOTANIC GARDENer here
BGANZ member accepted into Longwood Fellows Program
Clare Shearman, Plant Collection Team Manager at Wellington Botanic Garden in New Zealand, is one of only five people worldwide to be selected for this prestigious program in 2024–25
BGANZ partnered with Longwood Gardens, based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA, to help promote and raise awareness of the Longwood Fellows Program to members.
The aim of the program is to create the next generation of senior public horticulture professionals.
PARTNERS
BGANZ would like to thank all partners and sponsors for their ongoing support as we work to promote the aims of BGANZ members, botanic gardens and arboreta across Australia and New Zealand
PARTNERS
DIAMOND SPONSORS
ALLIANCES
Australian Association of Friends of Botanic Gardens, American Public Gardens Association, Australian Network for Plant Conservation, Australian Seed Bank Partnership, Botanic Gardens Conservation International, Climate Change Alliance of Botanic Gardens, Council of Heads of Australian Botanic Gardens, University of New South Wales
Grove of young critically endangered Wollemi Pine Wollemia nobilis at the Tasmanian Arboretum Credit P Fleming
FINANCIALS
Botanic Gardens of Australia and New Zealand Ltd
Statement of Profit or Loss and other comprehensive income for the year ended 30 June 2024
The above statement of profit and loss should be read in conjunction with the accompanying notes that can be found in the full Financial Report
Angle-stemmed Myrtle Gossia gonoclada, QLD Credit G Leiper
FINANCIALS
Botanic Gardens of Australia and New Zealand Ltd
Statement of financial position as at 30 June 2024
The above statement of financial position should be read in conjunction with the accompanying notes that can be found in the full Financial Report
KIngs Park & Botanic Garden,
FINANCIALS
Botanic Gardens of Australia and New Zealand Ltd
Statement of changes in equity for the year ended 30 June 2024
The above statement of changes in equity should be read in conjunction with the accompanying notes that can be found in the full Financial Report.
Huon Pine Lagarostrobos franklinii at the Tasmanian Arboretum
Fleming
LOOKINGTOTHEFUTURE
As recently heard at COP16 and the first global Nature Positive Summit, there is a need to accelerate action to prevent further biodiversity loss Botanic gardens are in a position to assist this by sharing their expertise and knowledge, both scientifically and socially. Communities need to change, not just government and industry. Plants need to be valued by ALL, and botanic gardens can be the conduit for this change
We will continue to strengthen our members and support them in their ability to make such significant contributions through their scientific, educational, social and cultural activities Based on member feedback we know that upskilling is the most valuable benefit and hence we will: host online and in person events develop a new enhanced resource hub create a member directory develop new resources
hold a BGANZ Congress, hosted by the Australian National Botanic Gardens explore training partnerships
2025 is also the 10-year celebration of Botanic Gardens Day The event will shift to Botanic Gardens Week allowing greater engagement for members. Our aim is to increase conversation and notably raise the profile of botanic gardens within Australia and New Zealand
We also have exciting new partnerships to announce and are building strong relations with government authorities, so we are better able to advocate for botanic gardens and their future success.
We look forward to working with all our members in 2025
CASSANDRA NICHOLS, CEO
2023–2024
THANKYOU
The BGANZ Board:
Marianne Cullen, Chair
Katherine Zhang, Chair of Finance and Risk committee
Peter Byron
Chris Russell, Chair of Member Committee
Kate Russell (resigned 31 August 2023)
Rohan Butler
Leone Scriven
Wolfgang Bopp
The Threatened Species Specialist Advisory Group: Caroline Chong, Anne Fuchs, Dave Kendal, Charles Clarke, Joel Cohen, Damian Wrigley and Sheree Parker
BGANZ gratefully acknowledges the huge contributions to the organisation from the following people:
John Arnott, BGANZ VIC (until 21 June 2024)
Tex Moon, BGANZ VIC (from 22 June 2024)
Michael Anlezark, BGANZ NSW & ACT
Wolfgang Bopp, BGANZ NZ
Barry Meiring, BGANZ QLD
Paul Swift, BGEN
Sheree Parker, BCARM
Ian Allan, BARB
Costa Georgiadis, Botanic Gardens Day
Ambassador
Gallop Botanic Reserve, Cooktown, QLD Credit P Symes
Mayfield Garden, NSW.
Credit Mayfield Garden