Plenary Speakers

Navigating Natural Disasters

Dr Darren Crayn – Australian Tropical Herbarium

Fighting Feral Pathogens

Dr Geoff Pegg – QLD Department of Agriculture and Fisheries

Paul Dawson and Adrian Bauwens – Bunya People’s Aboriginal Corporation

Living on the Edge

Dr Carol Booth – Stanthorpe Rare Wildflower Consortium

Dr James Clugston – Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, University of Western Sydney

Northern Connections

Paul Donatiu and Dr Jen Silcock – Queensland Threatened Plant Network/ANPC and University of Queensland

Gerry Turpin – Queensland Herbarium

APCC14 bursaries have been awarded to three post-graduate students /Early Career Researchers (ECRs) to attend the conference, thanks to the Australian Flora Foundation and the Queensland Government. Read more here.

The ANPC were proud to host the 14th Australasian Plant Conservation Conference (APCC14)

The conference was held in Toowoomba, Queensland, from 13-17 October 2024

Acknowledgement of Country

The APCC14 organising committee acknowledges the traditional custodians of the places where the Conference will be held and recognises and respects that these places are and have been places of knowledge exchange, sharing, wisdom, and philosophy for generations. We also acknowledge the cultural diversity of all First Nations peoples along with their caring for country and connections to plants over millennia, as well as the important contributions they continue to make to Australian society. We pay our deepest respect to all Elders past and present.

The conference theme recognises how the many Little Things that we do – in science, land management, and community-based conservation – can grow into the Big Things that can save our biodiversity heritage.

APCC14 brought together, from across Australasia, Traditional Owners, plant conservation scientists, researchers, practitioners and land managers, government agency staff, community groups, students and volunteers, to discuss recent advances and issues in plant conservation, and how best to manage the key threats. We explored new insights into the recovery of native plants after extreme disturbances such as fire and cyclones, the conservation of threatened species and communities, and emerging new threats from plant diseases in the wild, including Myrtle Rust.

A key part of APCC14 was building and strengthening plant conservation networks. In particular, it raise the profile of plant conservation in Queensland, including through the Queensland Threatened Plant Network (QTPN) which is a new initiative coordinated through a partnership between the ANPC and the Queensland Department of Environment, Science and Innovation. The QTPN seeks to support and facilitate groups and new partnerships for the conservation of native flora and threatened plant recovery across the State.

115 delegates descended on Toowoomba (and 12 attended virtually) for 3 days of 42 captivating talks, 5 interactive workshops, 11 posters, followed by a day of 3 fantastic field trips (a tough choice for many on which to attend!). Hot topics at the conference included: Resilient Country through the use of Rightfire, conservation genetics and translocations, building resilience to pathogens such as Phytophthora and Myrtle Rust, OCBILs (old, climatically-buffered, infertile landscapes), the threatened species situation in Queensland and prioritisation frameworks, and embracing citizen science with effective science communication.

If you’re interested in hearing more about the research and topics covered in the conference, the plan is for two special APCC14 editions of Australasian Plant Conservation (Autumn and Winter 2025 editions), so join the ANPC to take advantage of those!

The conference overall was a big success with so many great discussions between attendees during the breaks and social functions, and an overwhelmingly positive response in our feedback received so far. Here were some immediate delegate reactions after the talks wrapped up on the Wednesday evening: