Wollemi Pine; Surviving the Furnace

There is a secret canyon in the 2 hours west of Sydney Australia. It contains the only known wild populations of a 200 million year old species. A species that disappeared from the fossil record 2 million years ago, only to be discovered in 1994.

Since then scientists have learnt a lot about the Wollemi Pine (𝘞𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘢 𝘯𝘰𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘴), and one of the things they have learnt is how to establish new populations. Insurance populations in case the wild plants were ever impacted by climate change, fire or disease.

Those new populations were established in other secret gullies; deep wet canyons so far apart that a single catastrophic event should never impact them all. But are these populations really safe?

Thanks to interviewees Heidi Zimmer, Berin Mackenzie, Ian Allan

Producer and Narration: Chantelle Doyle
Video: Michael Lawrence-Taylor

Podcast:   / user-737585810  

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Produced in collaboration with the New South Wales Department of Planning, Industry and Environment (Saving Our Species Program), Blue Mountains Botanic Garden, Australian Botanic Garden Mt Annan, UNSW & UniMelb.

Special appreciation as well to The Australian Botanic Garden, Mt Annan. The team here have researched, propagated, stored and grown this species since it’s discovery. It is with sincere regret that their voices are not included in this story.

This project is part of a PhD focused on plant conservation and translocation being undertaken by Chantelle Doyle @ UNSW, and UniMelb. Please contact Chantelle on the website (www.plant-heroes.com) if you have any questions or would like to contribute your story.