Eucalypt Conversation Program

The Eucalypt conservation program aims to improve the conservation of Tasmanian eucalypt species. The program has a focus on improving the ex-situ conservation of eucalypts through adequate seed banking in the Tasmanian Seed Conservation Centre.

Over the next three years this program will improve our understanding of critical seed sources for climate ready restoration of Tasmanian eucalypt species. Modelling will be used to identify the location of critical seed sources for restoration under predicted changes in climate, and information from thermal germination experiments will be used to refine modelling for key species. This work will generate new knowledge on the regenerative capacity of populations in the face of climate change and the potential of maternal effects to shift germination cues of offspring. Results will benefit eucalypt conservation through targeted seed banking, refine strategies to build resilience in revegetated populations, and triage translocations within and outside a species range to ensure long-term survival of these foundational flora species. This work is funded by the Australian Flora Foundation.

It was the role of seed conservation in the recovery of the critically endangered endemic Eucalyptus morrisbyi (Morrisby’s gum) that highlighted the need for improved seed banking of endemic Tasmanian eucalypt species. Seed orchards, seed banking and translocations are central management strategies in the plan to downlist this species by 2038. The majority of the foundational work has been completed, however this program will continue to maintain the outcomes so that downlisting can be achieved.

The current focus is supporting protection of the regeneration this species at the largest wild stand and maintaining assisted migration translocation plantings on Tasmania’s east coast. This work is currently unfunded and supported entirely by the Landscape Recovery Foundation.