Botanic news: from home and abroad

Cassandra Nichols, CEO, BGANZ Ltd

Evolution of BGANZ

After a decade of incredible work, BGANZ’s esteemed CEO Eamonn Flanagan said farewell to the organisation. He has been an innovative and inspirational leader, transforming BGANZ through a pandemic to a highly successful online network of empowered members. Responding to member needs, he steered the organisation through a significant governance change from an association to a charity, which has now positioned BGANZ in a place for growth. This evolution of BGANZ is no small feat and on behalf of the Board and me, we’d like to say a massive thank you, and congratulations for all his accomplishments.

Eamonn’s superb accent and joyous sense of humour will be sorely missed, but keep a look out for our Irish leprechaun in a garden near you…

Technology advances

It seems an age since face-to-face meetings were the standard form of communication, and that everyone working in ‘the office’ was the only way a business operated. I am writing to you from my home in Newcastle, yet my colleagues are spread across the country. Thanks to technology, we now connect more regularly with people outside our towns, cities, states and even countries and thanks to online forums, BGANZ has built a strong community, which is very actively sharing and collaborating on essential work. The new Specialist Group, BARB (BGANZ Arboriculture) led by Ian Allan, kicked off in November. BARB is composed of tree management professionals working in botanic gardens across the BGANZ network. For more information, see Ian’s article in this issue.

If you wish to become a member of any of our specialist groups, or our regional groups, please visit our webpage, bganz.org.au/contact/.

Technology is not only changing the way BGANZ connects on a personal level but is making significant advancements in the ability to accurately record, store and share data across the network. The first exciting development on this front was the success of the Hortis database, rolled out across the Victorian network. This has the potential to be a nationwide plant records management system, connecting gardens and arboreta across the country and even internationally, for the first time. These types of advancements, which will greatly benefit daily operations of members, but also advance research capability and contributions are high on the agenda for BGANZ. For those wishing to know more, please contact me directly to discuss.

Members

BGANZ is delighted to welcome the following new members in 2023:

• Ballarat General Cemeteries Trust

• Camperdown Botanic Gardens and Arboretum

• Camperdown Botanic Gardens and Arboretum Trust Inc.

• Friends of Maroochy Regional Bushland Botanic Gardens

• Glen Eira City Council

• Mallacoota Endemic Garden

• Oamaru Public Gardens, NZ

• Queens Park, Invercargill, NZ

• Shoalhaven Heads Native Botanic Garden

• The Melbourne Arboretum.

We also have 10 new individual members. Welcome all!

BGANZ Awards 2023

BGANZ has two Professional Development Awards each year. We are delighted to announce the award winners for 2023:

• Professional Development Scholarship: Value $2,000 AUD, awarded to Tristan Cora, Tondoon Botanic Gardens. Tristan, a second-year Indigenous horticulture apprentice, will use his award to travel to Brisbane Botanic Gardens – Mt Coot-tha to study specimens of Macadamia jansenii and gauge them against those growing in Tondoon Botanic Gardens. The objective is to help with preservation of the species and give insight into how different horticulture techniques and ecosystems affect the growth and lifecycle as part of the Macadamia Conservation Trust. He says, ‘the funds being offered in the scholarship can be used to raise awareness about the Macadamia Conservation Trust, help prevent the loss of Macadamia jansenii species, engage other botanic gardens in conservation projects and help restore the natural flora of Australia.’

• Young Member Award: Value $500 AUD, awarded to Meg Spittal, Auckland Botanic Gardens. Meg, a first-year apprentice, will use her award to take two online courses, Planting Design with Perennials by Dr Noel Kingsbury, and Planting the Piet Oudolf Way. She says, ‘this will be amazing opportunity for me to gain more knowledge and insight into certain aspects of horticulture that interest me; garden design and creating plantings that can adapt to the changing climate.’

Congratulations Tristan and Meg!

Botanic Gardens Conservation International – Marsh Awards 2023

On an annual basis, BGCI operates the Marsh Awards for International Plant Conservation and Botanic Garden Education sponsored by the Marsh Trust. The Marsh Trust was established in 1981 and runs a portfolio of awards that recognise the contribution of dedicated individuals working in different sectors – to improve the world we live in. The 2023 winners were:

• Santiago Madriñán – winner of the award for International Plant Conservation. Santiago is Professor of Botany & Director of the Jardín Botánico de Cartagena, Colombia

• Paulina Xóchitl Rendón Pujol – winner of the award for Education in Botanic Gardens. Paulina is Coordinator of Education Ambienta at Jardín Etnobotánico “Francisco Peláez R., A.C.”, Mexico.

Don’t forget to nominate someone you know for 2024!

Global issues and the evolution of botanic gardens

It was the need to teach medical students about medicinal plants that led to the very first botanic garden, but their role today has expanded well beyond this and now encompasses educational, recreational, cultural, scientific and conservation efforts. Importantly, gardens are playing critical roles in climate change research and education, protection of threatened and endangered species and in the prevention of biodiversity loss.

BGCI continues to work towards the first global biodiversity standard, with expected technical specifications to be published to coincide with the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 28) in early December 2023. The standard utilises the skills of botanic institutions to mentor restoration practitioners increasing the biodiversity benefits.

With an urgent need to integrate nature into everyday business decisions, opportunities for botanic gardens to be involved in consultation processes for policies and planning are only going to grow.