Conservation challenges for Victorian Banksias: Workshop May 2020

Abstract

Banksias are iconic Australian plants, with a Gondwanan origin. Their specialised roots help survival on low‐phosphorus soils, and many species have reproductive cycles adapted to fire. They are trophically important in many of Australia’s native forests, woodlands and heathlands, providing nectar, pollen and seeds for many species of birds, mammals and invertebrates. While legacies of land use have reduced the historic extent of some Banksia species, more recent declines have raised additional concerns about their persistence in some landscapes. A range of factors are considered to be impacting Banksia persistence (Lamont et al. 2007), including habitat loss and fragmentation (e.g. Miller et al. 2020), increased fire frequency (e.g. Bradstock et al. 1997) and climate change (e.g. Steel et al. 2019), but there is no consensus about how these interacting factors may be driving declines, and how widespread these declines may be. The challenges facing Banksia species conservation in the south‐eastern state of Victoria were the focus of an online workshop in May 2020. The workshop brought together researchers and land managers from Victorian and interstate universities, Victorian government agencies and volunteer land management groups to share their knowledge of the threats facing banksias, and document ideas to reverse declines. It was organised by Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research (Department Environment, Land, Water and Planning), La Trobe University (Department of Ecology, Environment and Evolution) and Federation University (Centre for eResearch and Digital Innovation).