Image credit John Tann, CC BY 2.0 Flickr31031835@N08/8595049832

Getting a Myrtle Rust conservation program going – the practicalities

Brandan Espe from James Cook University (JCU) will present on how TropEco at JCU established its Myrtle Rust conservation program. The focus will be around the tools and steps required to get such a program off the ground, and the challenges of ensuring ongoing success.

Brandan curates the JCU living collections and manages the TropEco program, with the Townsville campus alone being over 380 hectares, having over 1300 taxa and well over triple the accessions recorded to date and growing. He manages the Grounds and Environment teams who care for the gardens, natural ecosystems, nurseries and wildlife. He oversees plant selection and landscape designs for capital and operational works across the University as well as botanic conservation and educational engagement. He started the JCU TropEco Myrtle Rust conservation program in his former role as Environmental Officer.