Backyard biobank project sets out to save Tasmania's 'spectacular' alpine plants from bushfire threat

ABC NEWS (Australia)

Hundreds of people are caring for cuttings from Tasmania's unique alpine plants in their backyards, as part of a biobanking project. The idea is to create an urban climate refuge, which can be used to restock wild populations of the plants in the wake of a destructive bushfire.

Transcript

00:00Scattered across Tasmania's mountaintops are plants that look like they belong on another planet.

00:08They've survived blanketing snow, strong winds and the blaring sun for hundreds of years.

00:15But there's one threat they can't quite match.

00:19Unlike a lot of Australian flora, like gum trees, wattles, banksias even,

00:24these plants have no natural defence against fire.

00:27Once a fire comes through, they're gone forever.

00:30With climate change bringing hotter, drier conditions,

00:34the risk of losing these ancient species is rising every year.

00:39The plants won't adapt in time. That just doesn't happen.

00:42It's too slow a process.

00:44So it'll be a case of some of them getting by where they are.

00:48Others will survive in other places and others will go extinct.

00:54In a bid to stop this from happening,

00:56plant enthusiast Harry Lush is turning to everyday Tasmanians and their backyards.

01:02He's collected hundreds of cuttings from alpine plants,

01:05which he's given to people to care for at their homes.

01:08We're looking to create a large scale urban climate refuge for these plants,

01:12a place where they'll be safe from the dangers of increasing temperatures,

01:15decreasing rainfall and increasing fire prevalence.

01:19The idea is that if a bushfire sweeps through Tasmania's alpine regions,

01:23seeds and cuttings of the plants being nurtured in suburban backyards like this one

01:28could be used to fast track reforestation efforts.

01:31More than 200 people have signed up to take part in the project,

01:35turning their gardens and balconies into mini refuges for the uniquely Tasmanian plants.

01:42I think there's something really beautiful about taking a moment to recognise

01:46where you're actually living, the land that you're living on and what's unique about it.

01:51For Harry Lush, the project's also about getting more people to fall in love

01:56with the plants he considers the most spectacular in the world.

02:00They're beautiful in a way that I think is incredibly special.

02:05To me that's their importance is how they define our identity and how they inspire us.

02:11Cultivating growth with an eye on the future.

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