It’s been a landmark year for Big Scrub Rainforest Conservancy. After nearly a decade of research, collaboration, and planning, our Science Saving Rainforests program has reached a major milestone. The first of our ‘genetically optimal’ trees have been planted in the ground.
Developed in partnership with Botanic Gardens of Sydney and Firewheel Rainforest Nursery, the program is a world-first initiative using cutting-edge science to restore genetic diversity and resilience across 60 rainforest species within the Big Scrub. This is one of the first attempts to apply this approach across a landscape.
So why is genetic diversity so important?
Climate change is here and ecosystems are suffering. When Big Scrub Rainforest Conservancy began restoring rainforest in the 1990s, it quickly became clear that simply planting trees would not be enough to save the Big Scrub from extinction. More than 99 per cent of the original rainforest had already been cleared, leaving small and isolated remnants scattered across the landscape like islands in a sea of farmland.
This isolation has consequences for the long-term survival of rainforest species. Many trees, including rare and threatened species, are now separated from other populations of their kind. Over time, this can lead to inbreeding, reducing genetic diversity within species, making populations weaker and less able to reproduce.
Genetic diversity allows for species to adapt to change and is essential for the long-term survival of rainforest ecosystems, especially as the impacts of climate change take hold. By increasing genetic diversity within each species, populations also build resilience to pests and diseases and reestablish their reproductive health.
In simple terms, the program is helping reconnect the flow of genes between rainforest plant populations that have become isolated from one another.
Using DNA analysis from more than 10,000 leaf samples, field teams have spent years collecting cuttings and seeds from populations representing the greatest possible genetic diversity. These plants have now been grown and planted to create a Living Seedbank Plantation. As the trees mature and cross-pollinate, they will produce genetically diverse seed that can be harvested for use in future restoration plantings across the region.
Seeing 96-year-old founder Dr Tony Parkes (AO) plant the very first tree was a powerful and emotional moment and not just for the Big Scrub. The lessons from this groundbreaking program could help shape restoration efforts and save threatened ecosystems around the world.
To dive deeper into the science, head to the Science Saving Rainforests page.
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