Image credit T Mehlhose
Do you know the value of the plants in your local botanic gardens and their global significance?
Discover how your local botanic garden is part of a powerful global network working to save the planet’s most threatened plants. This webinar reveals the inspiring, behind-the-scenes collaborations that are protecting biodiversity across borders – and why it matters to us all.
Speakers are Dr James Clugston, Research Fellow at Western Sydney University and Regional Co-Chair of the Global Conservation Consortium for Cycads; Dr Alastair Robinson, Manager of Biodiversity Services at Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria and carnivorous plant expert; and Dr Darren Crayn, Professor and Director, Australian Tropical Herbarium, James Cook University.
Missed the event? Watch it now.
Dr James Clugston
James is a conservation biologist with broad research interests in the molecular diversity and evolution of gymnosperms and angiosperms, focusing on species conservation of cycads (Cycadales). He is passionate about cycads due to their interesting biology and unique adaptations, allowing them to survive for millions of years. His recent research focuses on developing new molecular techniques to understand cycad genetic diversity better and apply this to their conservation worldwide. James uses a broad range of molecular techniques and approaches in conservation genomics, systematics, phylogenetics, and plant evolution.
James is the co-chair for the Global Conservation Consortium for Cycads, Australia, and he is an active member of the IUCN SSC Cycad Specialist Group. James is also affiliated with the Montgomery Botanical Centre, Florida, USA.
Dr Alastair Robinson
Alastair is Manager Biodiversity Services at Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria. He manages their team of botanists researching Australia’s native flora, delivery of the online flora identification platform VicFlora, the Library and Art components of Victoria’s State Botanical Collection, and the Victorian Conservation Seedbank. He is a botanist and illustrator with two decades of experience leading research expeditions to remote field locations across Southeast Asia.
Alastair’s own research is primarily focused on the taxonomy and conservation of tropical montane flora, particularly ultramafic specialists – that’s soils rich in heavy metals to you and me! – but also carnivorous plants worldwide, particularly tropical pitcher plants and sundews. Earlier this year, he published a paper describing a ridiculously hairy, giant new pitcher plant from Borneo in collaboration with a Malaysian team. They chose to name it after the orangutan (Nepenthes pongoides). Picked up by Forbes, The Age, and many popular science outlets, the conservation message of their work reached an audience of over 95 million people.
Dr Darren Crayn
Darren is the inaugural Director of the Australian Tropical Herbarium, a joint venture of James Cook University, the CSIRO, the Queensland Government and the Commonwealth Department of the Environment and Energy. Appointed in 2008, he has led this organisation through its establishment and growth phases. It now boasts a significant national and international profile.
His research interests include studies of the taxonomy, evolution and conservation of Australia’s and the region’s tropical flora. Darren’s career has involved research in many tropical countries, including Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Panama, Papua New Guinea, New Caledonia, and Venezuela.
As a leader in the plant sciences in northern Australia, Darren has held positions on a wide range of advisory and representative bodies including roles advising state and Commonwealth governments, leadership roles in professional societies and sector peak bodies, and roles on granting bodies.
