History of the ANPC
The following is a background paper prepared for the Biodiversity
Information Network (BIN21) electronic on-line workshop in Brasil
in June 1992.
Australian Network for Plant Conservation (ANPC)
Varying reports have been produced in Australia since the early 1970s
calling for action on endangered species and promoting a regional network
of botanic gardens to concentrate on the flora of their local region.
While many of these reports have recognised the role that botanic gardens
and arboreta can play in conservation activities, there was a significant
number of other groups and people involved that were overlooked. This in
particular includes the so-called 'non-professionals'.
In 1987, the Australian
National Botanic Gardens was contracted by the
Australian National Parks and Wildlife Service (ANPWS) to conduct a
survey of the major botanic gardens in Australia to determine their
holdings of rare and threatened Australian plants. The published report
included the following recommendations:
- Australian botanic gardens large and small should endeavour
to play an increased role in the conservation of rare and threatened plant
- Australian botanic gardens should implement the Botanic Gardens
- Funding should be provided for an Australian botanic gardens
- The Australian botanic gardens community should develop a regional
role in conservation matters relevant to the south-west Pacific and SE
- Smaller botanic gardens should be encouraged to develop a collection
of species from their local region or establish a national collection
of a particular group.
- The major botanic gardens should assist smaller botanic gardens by
providing scientific and technical assistance and advice.
- A national collection of rare and threatened species should be
dispersed to three or more gardens to assist in the security of the
- A national collection policy for rare or threatened plants should be
- A conference should be held to discuss all of the above matters and to
provide guidelines for further action.
These recommendations recognised the largely unco-ordinated approach to ex situ conservation in Australia.
In 1991 the ANBG acted to co-ordinate the ex situ conservation of rare
and threatened plants by organising the conference "Protective Custody? -
Ex Situ Plant Conservation in Australasia". The conference had among its
goals the intention to:
- Prepare guidelines for the establishment of an Australian Plant
Conservation Secretariat and an Australian Botanic Gardens
- Participants who attended this conference came from universities,
botanic gardens zoos, the forestry industry, conservation agencies,
horticultural organisations, the mining industry and local councils.
This reflects the immense interest in the general community in this
- As had been apparent from the survey in 1987, it was again obvious
from the conference that there has been little communication between
Encouragingly, it was generally agreed by conference delegates that there
is a need for informal networking so that the diverse range of groups
involved can be made aware of the situation that exists. Out of this
common acceptance of the situation came a proposal for the establishment
of the Australian Network for Plant Conservation
The aims of the Network are to:
- Establish a multi-site national endangered
- Locate and bring together information concerning integrated
conservation activities in Australia.
- Assist in the co-ordination of plant conservation projects to avoid
- Provide information and advice to ANPC members.
- Promote plant conservation.
- Organise workshops and training courses.
- Produce a regular Newsletter.
The structure of the ANPC is as follows.
Role. The Advisory Committee will:
- assist the co-ordinating office to develop and maintain co-operation
between botanic gardens, kindred organisations and land management
- advise on plant conservation activities for the ANPC including the
review of funding and fund raising possibilities;
- advise on the operation of the co-ordinating office.
Membership. The membership of the Advisory Committee is be drawn from
botanic gardens, zoological gardens, non-government institutions, the
media, tertiary institutions, national parks and wildlife services
(including the ANPWS), industry and the CSIRO.
A special attempt has been made to include representation from land
The Advisory Committee will appoint these sub-committees as required to
advise it on matters such as funding, research plant re-introduction,
ecological restoration and germplasm storage.
The Co-ordinating Office will:
- carry out day to day management of the programs and activities of the
organisation as recommended by the Conference delegates;
- assist in the implementation of the Botanic Gardens Conservation
- draft and adapt policy documents and technical manuals for review by
the Advisory Committee;
- develop and maintain a national database of rare or threatened plants
in cultivation in Australia to complement the CSIRO database of rare
or threatened Australian plants in the wild;
- provide a link with other national and international conservation
- manage the budget of the organisation;
- act as a regional office of the Botanic Gardens Conservation
- maintain communication between the Advisory Committee, co-ordinating
office and sponsoring agencies especially through the production of a
- Initial set-up and on-going assistance has been from existing
Australian National Botanic Gardens staff
- One full time ANPC staff member
- Volunteer assistance as available
- Short-term contracts (eg. for database development) subject to the
availability of funds.
Staff employed specifically for the ANPC will be employed (though not
necessarily funded) through the Australian National Parks and Wildlife
Delegates at the Conference agreed that establishing the
ANPC in Canberra would be advantageous given the importance of the ANPC
having close contacts with such organisations as the CSIRO and the ANPWS
through the Endangered Species Program.
The Co-ordinating Office for the ANPC is located in Canberra in space
provided by the Australian National Botanic Gardens.
This group represents all paid up members of the Australian Network for
The activities of ANPC Co-ordinating Office during first year have been:
- Preparation and circulation of the Prospectus to prospective Network
members and finalise.
- Negotiation of an agreement with ANBG regarding staffing and
- Establishment of a functioning office with appropriate administrative
Network and communications:
Editing and publishing of the Proceedings of the 1991 Protective
Organizing a public announcement of the creation of ANPC.
Recruitment of members and establishment of Network membership list
Recruitment of members of the Advisory Committee.
Establishment of communication between Co-ordinating Office and
Network members, and other co-operating organisations and individuals.
Design, preparation and circulation of the newsletter.
Development of information system:
Determination of scope and objectives of information system.
Selection and acquisition of hardware and software.
Identify and retain consultant for Information Systems development.
Development of specific application for management of ANPC activities.
Establishment links with other relevant database holding
Planning and Budgeting:
- Preparation of a three-year strategic development plan, including
budgetary projections, for review by the Advisory Committee.
- Identification of potential sources of funding for ANPC from
governmental and private sources in Australia and elsewhere.
- Develop specific proposals for financial support of program elements.
- Initiate contact with prospective funders and solicit contributions.
- Determination of member contribution scale of fees and invoicing
Training, education, and meetings:
- By means of a survey, determine the training requirements and needs of
- Circulate register of training courses available to members.
- Plan and execute a biennial conference of Network members for 1993.
- Plan and execute first meeting of Advisory Committee.
- Conduct a training course for the management of plant living
collection databases, including a review of the major relevant
national databases, to be held in 1992.
A fundamental activity of any national organization is the creation and
maintenance of a database to serve the overall needs. The ANPC database
will focus on the collections of conservation-worthy plants in Australian
botanic gardens as well as those grown by kindred organizations and
interested individuals. This database will be established on standard,
commercially available computer hardware, using software to allow
straightforward communications with other national and international
databases. The day to day management of the database and data inputting
will be undertaken by the staff of the organization but database
structural development is being carried out by contract during the first
and subsequent years of operation of the organization, for which separate
funding will be sought. Initial computer hardware acquisitions have been
made during the first year of operation of the organization.
At its core the database will contain a list of rare and endangered
Australian plants, made available by the CSIRO and updated as revisions
are published. It will also include relevant fields on distribution,
ROTAP conservation category, life forms, etc. of each of the species
Based upon this central reference list of plants the organization will
gather the following data:
- The occurrence of plant accessions in botanic gardens and other ex
situ conservation collections in Australia. The structure of the
database is being adapted from software already developed at the ANBG
but careful concern has been given to ensure that it is fully
compatible with the International Transfer Format for Botanic Gardens
Records. The ITF has become a standard for the electronic exchange of
accession information between gardens and is widely used in Australia
and elsewhere. Data held on each accession will include as extensive
information as possible on their origins and level of verification.
The National Data Management System developed by the Center for Plant
Conservation (USA), which meets many of the basic needs of ANPC, has
served as the basic template for the information system design.
- Documentation and a bibliography on the horticultural methodologies
used for the cultivation and propagation of plants listed in the
database will be undertaken in co-operation with the BGCS.
- A register of plant recovery, re-introduction and ecological
restoration programmes will be maintained.
- A list of rare or threatened species available in the horticultural
trade will be maintained as well as listings of the major nurseries
- Species that are either controlled under the provisions of CITES or
else are endangered through their collection for trade will be
- In conjunction with the BGCS, a list of non-native rare and endangered
plants in cultivation in Australia's botanic gardens will be
maintained to foster the Australian contribution to global efforts for
plant conservation. In addition the database will link with
international efforts to document conservation collections of
Australian plants held elsewhere in the world.
The ANPC will support and encourage educational programs to increase
awareness of the problems of plant conservation and biodiversity and the
importance of integrated programs to address conservation issues.
Currently there is little if any training done by botanic gardens and
kindred organisations in relation to the conservation of Australia's
flora. Such training will include courses on collecting, propagating and
cultivating threatened plants; species re-introduction; database
development and management, and land management. It may include tertiary
courses that already exist. A great deal is also likely to be gained by
the exchange of staff between different organisations involved in both in
situ and ex situ conservation.
Training is primarily the responsibility of individual organisations both
in terms of organisation and funding as any training must be tailored to
the conservation programs that those organisations have developed.
However, the role of the Co-ordinating Office will be to identify and
distribute information concerning any conservation training that is
already available and provide contacts for organisations wishing to
The Co-ordinating Office will also, in the longer term, make suggestions
on what types of training would be valuable for organisations to
undertake if they are interested in conducting conservation work. This
may include arranging with particular organisations to carry out part of
the training program.
Exchange of staff should be considered not only within Australia but also
between countries in the South-West Pacific and with other nations world-
wide where national integrated conservation programs are under
ANPC Membership Fee Structure
As part of the commitment from each of the ANPC members there is an
annual subscription. The fee structure that has been decided upon (as at 1992) is:
Federal, State or Local Government Agencies,
Corporations or Industry Associations $ 200
Other Non-profit Organisations $ 50
Interested Individual $ 30
The membership of the ANPC at
1 July 1992 is 87.
- Establishment of the National Endangered Species Collection and index
of conservation activities.
- Production of a regular Newsletter including the promotion of ANPWS
activities and publications.
- Planning for a workshop for the SGAP Study Groups.
- Providing assistance to the Grevillea sp. (Tumut) recovery plan.
- Preliminary planning for the 2nd National ANPC Conference (in
conjunction with the ESU).
- Providing assistance to proposed regional plant conservation networks
in New Zealand and Indonesia.