ANBG Annual Report 2009-10

Special features

The Australian National Botanic Gardens (ANBG) is a major scientific, educational and recreational resource. It was one of the first botanic gardens in the world to adopt the study and display of a nation’s native species as a principal goal. Approximately one-third of the known flowering plant species that occur in Australia and about half the known eucalypt species are represented in its living collection. The ANBG is a national showcase for the horticultural use of Australia’s native plants. It is a partner in the Australian National Herbarium which provides the scientific identification of plant species represented in the living collection and scientific information on Australian plants.

The ANBG contributes to meeting Australia’s obligations

under international environment conventions to which Australia is a signatory. In particular, the Convention on Biological Diversity recognises the importance of botanic gardens in ex situ and in situ conservation, research, training, plant identification and monitoring, raising public awareness, providing access to genetic resources, and global cooperation in the sustainable use of plant biodiversity. The ANBG provides expert participation and contributes scientific data to the Global Biodiversity Information Facility and other international biodiversity projects.

Location	Latitude 35°16’ South, Longitude 149°06’ East
Area	85 hectares
Proclamation date	17 September 1991
IUCN category	Category IV
Biogeographic context	Displays plants from a diverse range of climatic and biogeographic regions—alpine to tropical, coastal to central desert
Management plan	Second management plan expired 9 January 2009. A draft third management plan is in preparation for release for public comment in 2010–11
Other significant management documents	Risk Assessment and Management Schedule; ANBG Masterplan (National Capital Authority); ANBG Fire Procedures 2008; Agreement for the Establishment and Operation of the Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research (CPBR) between the Director of National Parks and the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO); CPBR Strategic Plan

Financial	Operating	$9.652 million
	Capital	$1.336 million
	Revenue	$10.448 million
Visitors	429,109 to site 107,498 to visitor centre
Living plants	Planted in 2009–10: 4,000 Total number of taxa in the living collection: 6,077 Total number of registered plants in the living collection: 80,441
Herbarium specimens	Specimen records added to database in 2009–10: 11,119 Specimen records in database: 857,279 Total number of specimens in collection approximately 1.2 million: 899,265 items databased, plus approximately 300,000 not databased
Australian Plant Name Index	Names added to APNI data base in 2009–10: 10,530 Total names in APNI database: 215,807
Australian Plant Census	Names added to APC database in 2009–10: 2,299 Total names in APC database: 19,431
Australian Plant Image Index	Images added in 2009–10: 6,481 Total number of images in collection: 63,315
Permits	16 commercial activity permits; 39 wedding licences; 78 licences to publish 514 photographs from the collection; 4 research permits

International conventions and agreements
World Heritage Convention	Supports Australia’s World Heritage sites through botanical research, scientific plant collections, plant identification, botanical information management and horticultural and educational programs
Wetlands (Ramsar) Convention	Supports Australia’s obligations under the Ramsar Convention through access to plant identification services and data on aquatic plants in the Australian National Herbarium, and by delivering information on Australia’s aquatic plants through its website
Other agreements	Collaborates with international organisations including: • Botanic Gardens Conservation International • International Association of Plant Taxonomists • International Plant Propagators Society • International Union of Biological Sciences Taxonomic Databases Working Group • International Plant Name Index (Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, and Harvard University) • Global Biodiversity Information Facility • International Organisation for Plant Information World Vascular Plant Checklist Project • Species 2000 • Millennium Seed Bank Project • American Public Gardens Association • Global Strategy for Plant Conservation

Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999
Heritage	On Commonwealth Heritage List

Report on performance by key result areas

Major issues

Water management and associated infrastructure
Ex situ conservation
Enhancing the living collection
Managing plant record information, including introducing geographic information system (GIS) technology to living collection management

Actions

Increase water use efficiency and sustainability
Position the ANBG as a leader in ex situ conservation including seed banking
Review the scope and operations of the living collection
Use GIS to accurately map the living collection

Performance results 2009–10

Secured a more reliable and sustainable water supply for irrigating the living collection. The National Capital Authority granted authorisation for the ANBG to extract water from Lake Burley Griffin and a pipeline for the non-potable water supply was installed between the lake and the ANBG. Works were commenced to distribute this water through the ANBG’s irrigation system (see case study on page 17)
Continued a program for ex situ alpine plant conservation supported by a three-year partnership between the ANBG, Australian National University, University of Queensland and the Friends of the ANBG. The program studies how climate change will affect the reproductive ecology and demography of Australian alpine flora. Eight field trips to the Mount Kosciuszko area were undertaken and 94 seed samples were collected
Conducted recruitment for a coordinator of the Australian Seed Bank Partnership which will be based at the ANBG
Completed a review of the living collection with recommendations for the collection’s future management and new opportunities for its development
Engaged a temporary GIS officer to begin developing GIS capability and commenced digital mapping of the ANBG
Rehabilitated the old nursery site to prepare for a new display of the living collection
Continued to display approximately one-third of the plant species occurring naturally in Australia, in a managed horticultural setting

Major issues

Visitor services including signage, interpretation and education programs
Education programs need to be aligned with the Australian science curriculum, focusing on Australia’s natural and cultural heritage
Visitor programs and outreach
Monitoring and evaluating visitors’ satisfaction and needs

Actions

Progress development and installation of interpretive, information and directional signage
Review and redevelop current education programs to incorporate ‘hands on, minds on’ learning for students
Redevelop the online education program booking system
Use social media platforms to engage with a wider audience
Develop a calendar of public programs, events and temporary exhibitions targeting key audiences
Conduct visitor surveys to measure visitor satisfaction and determine future needs
Encourage greater visitation through a range of programs and initiatives

Performance results 2009–10

Received a total of 429,109 visitors. Visitation for February (46,865), March (57,260) and April 2010 (52,224) was the highest for these months on record. Visitors to the visitor information centre numbered 107,498, 25 per cent of the total visitation to the ANBG
Installed 66 new directional signs in September 2009 to enhance visitor orientation
Installed information signs along the main path
Revised all ANBG education programs and tailored the programs to meet the needs of interstate and local school students. Continued to redevelop programs to incorporate the national curriculum and inquiry-based learning techniques
Hosted 9,520 school and tertiary students from 191 schools in ANBG education programs (59 per cent of students participated in ANBG-run programs and 41 per cent in Do It Yourself programs run by their own teachers). Schools from every state and territory included the ANBG on their Canberra excursion itinerary
Distributed education resource material to schools and teachers. This included copies of the floral emblems of Australia and Bush Foods posters and the Canberra Times education supplement
Completed the ANBG Education Strategy and reviewed education policies and procedures. This included redeveloping the online education booking system

Implemented a successful events program including:

NAIDOC Week (July 2009)
Wattle Day (1 September 2009)
Christmas Concert (5 December 2009)
Summer Concert Series (9–31 January 2010)
Music and Dances and Weddings (7 February 2010)
Footprint EnviroFest (14 March 2010)
International Biodiversity Day (22 May 2010)
World Environment Day (5 June 2010)
Bush Magic: Storytime in the Gardens (first Friday of every month)

Promoted the cultural, artistic and scientific values of Australian native plants through exhibitions including ‘Greening Silver City’, ‘Celebrate Our Wattle’, ‘Tree of Trees’, ‘Friends School Photographic Exhibition’, ‘Replant’, ‘Nature’s Canvas’, ‘Friends Botanical Art Group Exhibition’, Friends School Photographic Retrospective’, National Parks Association Photographic Exhibition’ and ‘Australian Plants Bonsai Exhibition’
Received departmental approval for the Social Media Policy in March 2010. The ANBG social media Twitter and Facebook sites were launched in April 2010 to facilitate engagement with a national and international audience and a wider demographic
Installed six pedestrian counters in January 2010 to monitor visitor flow throughout the ANBG
Produced a 2010 commemorative calendar to celebrate the 40^th anniversary of the official opening of the ANBG on 20 October 1970. In total 2,000 calendars were distributed to key stakeholders and sold to the public through the Botanic Bookshop

Major issues

Supporting and participating in national and international botanical forums including the Council of Heads of Australasian Herbaria, Council of Heads of Australian Botanic Gardens, Global Biodiversity Information Facility, Taxonomy Research and Information Network, Atlas of Living Australia, Encyclopaedia of Life and Taxonomic Databases Working Group
Servicing the department’s and CSIRO’s need for technical and scientific advice on Australian plants
Developing new partnerships with government and non-government organisations
Continuing a collaborative partnership with the Friends of the ANBG
Supporting and engaging with the Australian Cultivar Registration Authority, the Australian Network for Plant Conservation and Greening Australia
Ongoing support for the Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research
Fostering opportunities and partnerships with new stakeholders

Actions

Continue the ANBG’s active leadership role with the Council of Heads of Australian Botanic Gardens
Continue strategic partnerships and cooperative data management with the Taxonomic Databases Working Group, Global Biodiversity Information Facility, Taxonomy Research and Information Network and Atlas of Living Australia
Continue the Australian National Herbarium’s engagement in the Council of Heads of Australasian Herbaria
Undertake and promote the services that the ANBG and Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research can provide to the department and CSIRO in the form of technical and expert advice
Continue to develop the positive partnership between the ANBG and the Friends of the ANBG
Continue hosting the Greening Australia Community Seed Bank, the Australian Cultivar Registration Authority and the Australian Network for Plant Conservation on the ANBG website
Continue the joint ANBG–CSIRO partnership in the Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research

Performance results 2009–10

Continued ANBG membership of technical working groups under the Global Biodiversity Information Facility and Taxonomic Databases Working Group
Continued the close collaboration between the ANBG seedstore and Greening Australia, including joint field collecting, seed storage and management. The ANBG provided Greening Australia with space and irrigation for seedling production
The Australian National Herbarium continued to play a driving and coordinating role on behalf of the department for projects undertaken by the Council of Heads of Australasian Herbaria. This included continued work with Australia’s Virtual Herbarium, and the Australian Plant Census
The Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research continued its close association with the Taxonomy Research and Information Network, housing the network’s core staff and participating in projects such as systematic and diversity studies of weeds of national significance and biodiversity information management
The ANBG and Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research entered into a partnership with the Australian Biological Resources Study and the Atlas of Living Australia to develop and manage a common taxonomic infrastructure for the Australian Faunal Directory, the Flora of Australia, the Australian Plant Census and the Australian Plant Name Index, and to develop web services including a species profile template for the Atlas of Living Australia
The Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research participated in a ‘Bush Blitz’ collaborative biodiversity survey in Darkwood Nature Reserve near Dorrigo, NSW, coordinated by the Australian Biological Resources Study. The results of these surveys will contribute to such projects as Australia’s Virtual Herbarium and the Atlas of Living Australia
The Friends of the ANBG ran the annual students’ photographic competition and the autumn and spring plant sales; published quarterly newsletters; provided volunteer guided walks each day and facilitators for the Botanical Resource Centre twice a week; and supported the ANBG’s annual summer concerts in January 2010
The Australian Cultivar Registration Authority, based at the ANBG, documents the nomenclature of cultivated plants in the Australian Plant Name Index database. Funding was secured from private donors and the horticulture industry to enhance the index’s cultivar data and add scanned pdf documents of the original cultivar descriptions
The Australian Network for Plant Conservation, based at the ANBG, continued to conduct workshops in plant conservation techniques throughout the country and continued to produce its quarterly newsletter
The Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research partnership in the new Australian Tropical Herbarium in Cairns was continued. The ANBG and the Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research successfully provided database services to support the tropical herbarium’s collections management

Major issues

Finalisation of the third management plan
Effective budget management to meet increasing operational costs
Ongoing development and retention of staff
Minimisation of operational risks to staff and visitors

Actions

Develop the third management plan
Align the strategic risk assessment and business planning timelines to ensure that resources meet existing and emerging needs
Investigate new revenue opportunities to offset operational costs
Continue staff development through targeted training programs, regular communication and a team-based approach to projects
Embed risk management principles in project planning and operational processes

Performance results 2009–10

Developed the draft management plan for public consultation in early 2010–11
Addressed the challenge posed by increases in the cost of water through the new project to extract water from Lake Burley Griffin
Maintained and improved staff consultation, involvement and capacity building through training, staff working groups and planning sessions
Ensured staff health and safety through regular occupational health and safety committee meetings and applying risk management principles in developing capital works projects and operational plans

Major issues

Nationally consistent names for Australian plant species
Systematics and classification of Australian plant species
Taxonomic botanical research and documentation
Developing the horticultural knowledge base
Integrating the living collection database, herbarium database and image database
Improving access to botanical information and images to assist in responding to plant conservation, natural resource management and environmental change
Awareness of, and engagement with, national and international collaborative biodiversity projects

Actions

Maintain and curate the Australian National Herbarium collections and associated data content, and links to related information
Make botanical data, information and expertise available to the national and international botanical communities and to the public
Develop and maintain the Australian Plant Name Index and the Australian Plant Census to provide an up-to-date listing of flowering plants in Australia as a consensus view of the Australian botanical community
Undertake taxonomic and systematic research, publish and disseminate research findings, and make data available to the research community and the public
Develop, maintain and promote authoritative scientific databases of Australian plant information and make this information accessible online using contemporary data standards
Integrate the department’s plant and animal name databases with ANBG databases to allow more consistent management and delivery of biodiversity data
Expand the extensive plant image collection and improve electronic management and access to the digital collection
Position the ANBG as a key agency for disseminating information on conservation and environmental change issues in botanic gardens
Drive national collaborative biodiversity information accession, management and delivery projects

Performance results 2009–10

Databased 11,060 herbarium specimens with a total of 856,972 collection specimens now recorded in the database and available to the public through the internet
Kept data in the Australian Plant Name Index up to date
Updated the Australian Plant Image Index to make 6,481 additional images accessible on the internet
Made significant progress on an agreed list of scientific names for Australia’s flowering plants, including higher level taxonomy, through management of the Australian Plant Name Index and the national collaborative Australian Plant Census project. The project is endorsed by the Australian Government and by state and territory herbaria
Commenced data collation for an agreed list of scientific names for Australian liverworts and hornworts through the Australian Plant Census project
Maintained the Census of Vascular Plants of the ACT, including adding the hornwort and liverwort groups
Negotiated a contract for a partnership with the Atlas of Living Australia to redevelop the nomenclature and taxonomic infrastructure for Australian plant and animal species in association with the Australian Biological Resources Study. This will effectively combine Australian Government plant and animal names data through a common interface
Collaborated with the Atlas of Living Australia and the Taxonomy Research and Information Network to develop specifications for species profiles for managing digital biodiversity data. The Atlas of Living Australia also provided additional computer hardware to support increased demand for biodiversity name services
Redeveloped the living collection information system
Appointed research and technical staff to the Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research to undertake spatial analyses and research into the occurrence and distribution of Australian plants
Commenced redevelopment of the ANBG website to update content, enhance the site’s presentation and improve site navigation
Continued research on the ecological function, structure and small-scale dynamics of grassland communities in south-eastern Australia, using grasslands in the West Wyalong district as model systems. A paper on this work was accepted for publication in the journal Global Change Biology
The ANBG and Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research participated in national and international biodiversity information management and technical infrastructure projects including the Atlas of Living Australia, the Australian Faunal Directory, the Taxonomy Research and Information Network, the Australian Plant Census, Australia’s Virtual Herbarium, the Global Biodiversity Information Facility, the Encyclopedia of Life and the Taxonomic Databases Working Group
Researchers completed 21 scientific papers or publications resulting from research undertaken at the Australian National Herbarium. Areas of study included Australian Orchidaceae, Amaranthaceae, Rutaceae, Myrtaceae, Malvaceae, Portulacaceae, Mimosaceae, Santalaceae, weeds and bryophytes
The Australian Plant Image Index undertook a contract to collect, database and manage images of weeds for the department’s Weeds Australia website
The Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research was contracted by the NSW Roads and Traffic Authority to document and manage translocation and conservation of three species of orchids threatened by the Bulahdelah bypass highway realignment

Australian National Botanic Gardens

Special features

Management arrangements

Monitoring

Future challenges

Report on performance by key result areas

Major issues

Actions

Performance results 2009–10

Major issues

Actions

Performance results 2009–10

Major issues

Actions

Performance results 2009–10

Major issues

Actions

Performance results 2009–10

Major issues

Actions

Performance results 2009–10

Case Study: Water for the future at the Australian National Botanic Gardens