News from BCARM, the BGANZ Collection and Record Management group

Sheree Parker, BCARM Chair and Supervisor, Geelong Botanic Gardens

In March we held an open‑style workshop addressing some of the questions sent in prior to the meeting. Using these questions, we picked out some common themes, which looked at collaboration and exchange of ideas, plant material, expertise, or other areas in which we can offer our help or support.

Other priorities for our gardens were advocating for our collections, how do we reach those non‑ planty people! and ensuring horticultural staff are able to be horticulturalists without the continual ‘mopping’ up from pressures put on the collections from external sources.

Ex situ conservation was another topic of interest, which tied in with better exchange of material and looking at how we work within state guidelines to safeguard threatened species, and adapting ourselves to overcome legislation that may hinder efforts. Also, how to grow our opportunities to create viable pathways to increase our plant diversity and continue our involvement in conservation programs.

Future directions that came out of the workshop –

• Creation of a database of garden exchange (think broad ways in which we can help each other)

• Creation of a map or datasets of botanic gardens in Australia and New Zealand to determine climate change environments of the future, allowing these gardens to be considered to house at‑risk species in ex situ collections

• advocating for our gardens: developing a communications pack to help with addressing the importance of living collections and the broader societal value of botanic gardens

• making exchange of material easier both nationally and internationally.

BCARM held a webinar in May as part of Botanic Gardens Month professional development events, ‘Advocating for our gardens – The hidden pressures on our living collections.’ The webinar delved into the approaches to events held within our botanic gardens and the strategies employed by gardens in supporting their living collections. It explored various event approaches, our means of supporting them, and the associated benefits and expenses incurred in caring for and curating our living collections throughout the event lifecycle. We investigated strategies for managing staff and how they assess and handle this impact, addressing the sustainability and pressures exerted by events on our landscapes.

Ultimately, we aimed to demonstrate how such events cannot only enrich our understanding of botanic gardens but also raise awareness of the significance of our living collections, thereby fostering appreciation and support for our botanical endeavours.

Our presenters were Damian Wrigley, Manager, Living Collections and Conservation at Botanic Gardens of Sydney, Barbara Wheeler, Curator, Auckland Botanic Garden, John Sandham, Collection Development Officer, Botanic Gardens of South Australia, Ali Smith, Technical Officer & Peta Lewis, Assistant Curator Horticultural displays, from Kings Park, WA.

The BCARM Forum in July will be around the idea of ‘Conservation and long-term sustainability of our living collections’. We are looking at exploring funding, grants, succession planning and how we allocate our resources for our living collections. We will also address developing connections and building our networks for now and into the future. The online forum will be held on 30 July at 10am AEST. Our guest presenters are Doug McDougall, Ground Manager, Olive Pink Botanic Garden and Marie Velthoven, Horticulturist Team Leader, RBGV Cranbourne.

The forum in September is still a work in progress, but we are looking at professional development for our staff who work with living collections. For example, assessing if there is a need for a more formal process for exchange of people around our network. We are also looking at up and coming horticultural staff and their take on living collections. We will close out the year in October with a final forum to be announced.

BCARM is also involved with the Australian Network for Plant Conservation to help deliver workshops around Myrtle Rust and the care and implications this has on our living collections. Designed for the practitioner, these workshops help to increase networks among gardens and are a place to swap ideas and tips on the management of Myrtle Rust in their gardens.

If you are interested in joining BCARM, please email me at SParker2@geelongcity.vic.gov.au.