Antarctic Beech ex-situ conservation– from cutting edge conservation genomics, to cutting conservation hedges
Tracks
Track 3
| Tuesday, November 4, 2025 |
| 2:00 PM - 2:20 PM |
Speaker
Mr Ian Allan
Supervisor Arboriculture & Natural Areas
The Blue Mountains Botanic Garden
Antarctic Beech ex-situ conservation– from cutting edge conservation genomics, to cutting conservation hedges
BGANZ 2025 Abstract
Inspired by the work of the Global Trees Campaign and the sessions they ran at 7GBGC, the Global Conservation Consortia (GCC) for Nothofagus, the Research Center for Ecosystem Resilience (ReCER), and Blue Mountains Botanic Garden came together to secure Antarctic Beech before it’s too late…
Using the GCC Conservation Gap Analysis of Nothofagus, and the world leading conservation genomics work by ReCER, the team at Blue Mountains Botanic Garden have almost secured 95% of the common genetic diversity of the species, which they will house in a conservation hedge, and hopefully disperse into a meta collection across the BAGNZ network and beyond.
In this presentation, Ian will share insights from the project, and how it is exemplary of modern conservation horticulture in action, the role of a GCC Species Steward and the coming together of cutting edge science, with the knowledge and skills gained from successive BGANZ congress attendance and the networks forged under the BGANZ/BGCI banner.
Using the GCC Conservation Gap Analysis of Nothofagus, and the world leading conservation genomics work by ReCER, the team at Blue Mountains Botanic Garden have almost secured 95% of the common genetic diversity of the species, which they will house in a conservation hedge, and hopefully disperse into a meta collection across the BAGNZ network and beyond.
In this presentation, Ian will share insights from the project, and how it is exemplary of modern conservation horticulture in action, the role of a GCC Species Steward and the coming together of cutting edge science, with the knowledge and skills gained from successive BGANZ congress attendance and the networks forged under the BGANZ/BGCI banner.
Biography
In his role at the Blue Mountains Botanic Garden, Ian leads a dedicated team caring for ~250 hectares of World Heritage wilderness and a tree collection comprising conservation collections of trees such as Antarctic Beech, and Wollemi Pines. Ian is also Convenor of BGANZ Arboriculture Group (BARB).
