Enjoy a day in and around Bathurst in the Central West of NSW to see what work is being done in the area. AABR Member Diana Kureen and her colleagues at the Local Land Services will show us a variety of sites. The day will include visits to: Box Gum Grassy Woodland - Endangerd Ecological Community; Restoration sites, on and around Mount Panorama; Various creekline restoration projects, including Schauberger Sills, and a site that is looking to restore Regent Honeyeater habitat.

Time: 10am until 3 pm

Where: Exact meeting place to be determined.

Whilst the site visit is on Saturday, it is anticipated that a number of people will be there on friday night. A meal out to meet others will be arranged and also possibly a talk on the Regent Honeyeater.

For more informaton and booking: Email AABR Secretary Jane Gye or call AABR on 0407 002 921.

2016 Conference of the Ecological Society of Australia - 28 November to 2 December 2016, Fremantle WA
ESA16 is an opportunity to interact with world-leading ecologists and to experience the unrivalled biodiversity hotspot of south-western Australia. The historic port town of Fremantle and its warm Mediterranean-type climate provide a perfect setting for meeting colleagues outdoors and engaging in lively discussions of diversity patterns, process and prospects. The town’s 2020 vision to improve habitat for local biodiversity and for people under a drying climate can be seen in the landscaped gardens and verge plantings. ESA16 will feature symposia on regionally relevant issues, including indigenous ecological knowledge, urban ecology, restoration ecology, refugia in ancient landscapes, biodiversity conservation, pest and pathogen impacts, and climate change. Fremantle offers easy access to five of the state’s biodiversity hotspots. Two of these hotspots are featured in field trips to the wet southern forests and the northern sand plains.

NEWS:

Reintroduction of endangered orchid in western Victoria
This week the Orchid Conservation Program based at the Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria reintroduced the endangered Colourful Spider-orchid (Caladenia colorata) back into the bush in western Victoria. The ANPC is proud to have been part of this fantastic project, along with other project partners, which is the result of a tremendous combined effort to try to save the Colourful Spider-orchid from extinction and has been funded by the Victorian government Threatened Species Protection Initiative. The Orchid Conservation Program is the largest orchid conservation program of its type in the world with this reintroduction of Colourful Spider-orchid being the third for this species.

State of the World's Plants
The first report has been released on the State of the World's Plants - it provides a baseline assessment of current knowledge on the diversity of plants globally and the threats plants are facing. The report indicates that an estimated 391,000 species of vascular plants are known to science, and Australia, Brazil and China are the top three source countries for the identification of new species of vascular plants! It also addresses thirteen questions about our current knowledge and illustrates the incredible amount of information that is already available about the world’s plants but also the significant knowledge gaps. The International Plant Names Index (IPNI) provides the most comprehensive and regularly updated listing of scientific names for vascular plants – IPNI has been produced through collaboration between the Australian National Herbarium, Harvard University and the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew. Download the report here.

Banksia restoration north of Perth vital to safeguarding bird populations
Plants are also relying on the birds in the Banksia Woodlands north of Perth where "about 80 per cent of native plants required bird pollination, making the survival of banksia-eating bird species crucial".  Dr Alison Ritchie is monitoring the movement of birds at two sites under restoration, one with a mix of banksia species and another with just two main types. Read more here.

NESP Threatened Species Recovery Hub – Project 1.2 Conserving critical woodland and alpine habitats
Threatened and endangered species need the right vegetation and resources throughout their lifecycle to survive, and when you’re dealing with habitats you’re rarely just conserving one species – it’s often whole communities under threat. Led by Associate Professor Peter Vesk, the TSR Hub’s Project 1.2 will focus on three critical habitats - Box Gum Grassy woodlands, the Buloke Woodlands and Alpine Sphagnum Bogs and Associated Fens. The project will build partnerships with organisations on the ground to make the most of available knowledge and resources. The project will partner specifically with Greening Australia, Parks Victoria, NSW Office of Environment and Heritage and SA Department of Environment.