DAMIAN WRIGLEY

MANAGER, LIVING COLLECTIONS & CONSERVATION

What are the key responsibilities of your new position?

I guess you could say I’m an ambassador for the living collections and conservation work across the three Botanic Gardens, the Domain and the Australian PlantBank. Our Living Collections Strategy will be released this year and will guide the way seeds and plants are incorporated, managed, used and deaccessioned across the entire organisation, and it’s my job to ensure that the strategy is implemented effectively. I’ll be working closely with colleagues from all parts of the organisation and collaborating across Australia and overseas to ensure the Botanic Gardens of Sydney continues to develop, maintain and educate the community about one of the world’s leading plant collections.

What attracted you to the role?

The organisation holds incredible collections from a huge diversity of locations across Australia and overseas, so getting to work with all of these is very exciting. I’ve also worked with many individuals across the Botanic Gardens of Sydney in my previous role, so I know what a diverse, committed and amazing group of experts they are. The organisation is achieving loads and I’m excited to be a part of it.

What first got you interested in the world of plants and how did it lead to a career in the field?

My Uncle Jack in Western Australia had an affinity for native plants and a successful side-hustle at guerrilla gardening* throughout the town of Wagin. As a kid we’d visit his wheatbelt farm most holidays, spending afternoons revegetating paddocks that he’d been forced to clear decades earlier. At university I trained as an environmental scientist and then moved east and took a job as a water quality technician with Sydney Water. I soon realised I was more interested in propagating cuttings borrowed from people’s gardens than in the quality of Sydney’s water and so knew it was time to pursue a career in conservation.

Tell us about your career prior to taking up your current role?

I worked for 10 years in biodiversity conservation policy and programs, and as a knowledge broker for the National Environmental Science Program. Since 2017 I’ve worked at the Australian National Botanic Gardens as the National Coordinator for the Australian Seed Bank Partnership (ASBP), leading a national network of ex situ seed conservation and research experts. Until recently I was the National Focal Point for the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation (GSPC), negotiating and reporting on Australia’s contributions to the GSPC targets. Since 2019 I have also represented Oceania on the Convention on International Trade in Wild Species of Fauna and Flora (CITES) Plants Committee. In 2019 and 2022 I was part of the Australian delegation to Geneva and Panama for the 18th and 19th Conference of the Parties to CITES. Following the most recent meeting in Panama, I was elected by the Plants Committee as their Vice Chair.

What have been some of the highlights of your extensive work in plant conservation?

Learning on the job is a major highlight, and I’ve had the good fortune of learning from so many experts, including the members of the Council of Heads of Australian Botanic Gardens. Working with their staff and other partners to progress major seed conservation projects has been a standout career highlight. Other highlights include joining various meetings and field trips throughout Australia, New Zealand, Panama, Samoa, South Africa, Switzerland and the UK.

We read so much about how our ecosystems are under threat. What gives you hope that we can overcome these challenges?

My experience working with people around Australia on the response to the 2019/20 bushfires. The fires were harrowing for so many personal and professional reasons, but the efforts to respond were incredible and inspiring. I also drew hope from contributing to an ex situ chapter to the recently published Australia’s Megafires^. Learning from zoo experts about their bushfire response and jointly forming recommendations for the future of ex situ conservation helped us all recognise how similar ex situ actions can be for fauna and flora. My experiences have shown me that we can overcome environmental challenges if we work as an ecosystem of organisations, experts and individuals.

When you are not working, what do you like to do?

I love spending time, and exploring new places, with my family and friends. I also like pottering in my garden and taking my mountain bike out for a spin. I’m spending more time at the beach now, having moved from Canberra to the Illawarra coast.

What else should we know about you?

I’m a cis, white, bi man born on Whadjuk country, who left home at 18 to travel overseas. I’m in a long-term relationship with my best friend (and gender specialist), Sian, and we have two boys – Oliver and Lawson, a Kelpie (Mirri) and a cat (Bonecrusher). Sian and I have been together for 21 years, but we’re not married as Sian’s had me on a three-month probation ever since we met. I keep getting renewed for a further three months so I must be doing something right!