In 2020 the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance (SDZWA) provided funding to the ANPC to prevent rare plant extinction and reduce impacts of future fires. To date, this project has contributed to: 1. The listing of ‘Fire regimes that cause biodiversity decline’ as a Key Threatening Process under the national Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. 2. Creating a priority list of plant species to survey so we can understand factors which threaten their recovery after the 2019/20 megafires. The two groups being focused on are NSW endemics with a narrow range and epiphytic orchids. 3. Supporting surveys to understand the impact of Myrtle Rust on Myrtaceae species after the fires. This work will follow on from our ‘Fire and Rust’ project last year and complement the ‘Safe Custody for Native Guava project’ mentioned above. We are also supporting the development of a video on Myrtle Rust which is now in post-production. More details on the SDZWA project can be found here. Image below: Banksia paludosa subsp astrolux is one of the target species being surveyed following the 2019/2020 bushfires. Photo credit: Tony Auld |