Across the globe, biodiversity is disappearing and this World Environment Day, Phillip Island Nature Parks is calling on the local community to help save threatened flora.

Species on the brink of extinction need all the support they can get, and an easy way the public can improve biodiversity on the island is by choosing locally rare plants for home gardens.

The Barb Martin Bushbank is a native plant nursery operated by the Nature Parks, located next to the Koala Conservation Reserve.

It utilises the green thumbs of volunteers to propagate and plant seed stock. During 2022, there was a strong focus on propagating several threatened flora species local to the island.

A total of 4250 threatened plants were produced by the Barb Martin Bushbank in 2022, with 1480 expected to be used during the 2023 planting season. The continuation and recovery of threatened plant species is of utmost importance to the Nature Parks.

The Barb Martin Bushbank Nursery allows for propagation from dwindling wild specimens and contributes to the protection of remaining habitat by allowing new plants to be reintroduced into local ecosystems.

These threatened species are popular choices, with 2770 plants sold to customers. The propagation and availability of threatened plant species ensures these plants have a wide reach across Phillip Island.

Creating garden havens within community backyards is one way the threatened flora program run by the Nature Parks seeks to enhance the genetic diversity and ensure long term survival of plant species.

Along with propagation, revegetation efforts on Phillip Island are instrumental in restoring habitat and providing new areas for threatened flora species to thrive.

In 2022, the Nature Parks carried out major revegetation works at Fishers Wetland through the introduction of a range of wetland shrubs including Salt Lawrencia (Lawrencia spicata), Marsh Saltbush

(Atriplex paludosa) and Yellow Sea-lavender (Limonium australe var. australe), which can be purchased at the Barb Martin Bushbank Nursery and features beautiful sprays of yellow flowers in autumn.

Other threatened species rare in the wild on Phillip Island include the Crimson Berry (Leptecophylla oxycedrus) and Currant Wood (Monotoca glauca).

The Crimson Berry has a Recovery Action Plan with strategies aimed at improving genetic diversity within the species. The Barb Martin Bushbank Nursery has successfully propagated 35 Crimson

Berry plants by cuttings, an achievement to be celebrated, as from 2010-2020 there had been numerous attempts to propagate the plants from cuttings and by seed with no success. Some of these successfully propagated Crimson Berry plants will be retained as stock for further production, with the rest to be ready for translocation in 2023.

Another threatened flora species receiving special attention from the Nature Parks is Currant Wood, a shrub native to south-eastern Australia and locally rare on Phillip Island.

In 2022, the species was supported by a 680sqm herbivore exclusion zone, which was created at Rhyll Wetland. The enclosure borders land that encompasses several mature Currant Woods and approximately 35 immature plants. Since construction of the exclusion fence a further 70-80 immature plants have been noted, providing proof of the ability of this species to self-sow when protected from herbivory.

Other locally rare species protected within the enclosure include Common Heath (Epacris impressa), Grass Trigger plant (Stylidium graminifolium), Sun Orchid (Thelymitra sp.), Nodding Greenhood (Pterostylis nutans), Bird Orchid (Chiloglottis sp.), Grey Parrot-pea (Dilwynia cinerascens) and Cherry Ballart (Exocarpos cupressiformis).

The biodiversity values on Phillip Island are something the Nature Parks is committed to improving, in line with the purpose to protect nature for wildlife and inspire people to act. On World Environment Day, Monday June 5, we celebrate the continued support for threatened species across the community; ensuring biodiversity and habitat protection for our local wildlife.

If you would like to purchase a threatened species for your own garden, head to the Barb Martin Bushbank and speak to the nursery team to find a plant suitable for your garden and needs. The nursery is contactable on 0427 897 448 and open 9am-3pm Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday at 1810 Phillip Island Road, Phillip Island.

You can read more about the efforts to conserve habitat for threatened plant species on Phillip Island in the 2022 Threatened Species Report which can be found at penguins.org.au