The Kangaroo Island Rare Plant Garden
Safeguarding the Island’s Iconic Plant Species
The Kangaroo Island Rare Plant Garden (KIRPG) is a herbivore-proof exclosure, established on Cygnet Park Sanctuary (CPS) in 2022 by the SA Seed Conservation Centre (SASCC), in partnership with the NCS and Bio-R. It is an area where target plant species are grown to produce seeds for the future, helping to mitigate threatened plant extinctions and safeguard the island’s unique flora.
The KIRPG combines science and conservation to create a community-driven space, in which people can come together to experience and learn about Kangaroo Island’s spectacular plants. The Garden currently hosts >80 species of rare and endemic plants.
The SASCC has been collecting, studying and storing threatened Kangaroo Island plant seeds since 2003, which have been used for revegetation after events like the 2019-2020 bushfires. However, seed banks do not last forever and must be continually replenished. Many seed banks are not large enough to contribute to landscape-scale recovery projects. The KIRPG will help combat these challenges by continually contributing threatened plants to the seed bank.
The KIRPG is an example of effective conservation and using a Fire Wise approach, by planting fire-resilient species and developing educational resources on Fire Wise Strategies and technical guidelines. By being Fire Wise, communities help protect biodiversity from bushfires.
Passionate Volunteers are the Key to the Garden’s Success
The Garden’s success relies on its passionate volunteers, all committed to saving Kangaroo Island’s iconic flora from extinction. By joining the Friends Group, you may contribute to a range of activities, including:
- Identifying priority plant populations
- Collecting seeds
- Undertaking germination trials
- Propagating plants
- Maintaining the garden
- Growing and translocating plants to establish new populations
- Growing partnerships and inspiring community participation
To join, contact Deb Laver at [email protected]
Cover photo by SASCC
Nature Conservation Society of South Australia
5 Milner Street Hindmarsh
South Australia, 5007
Australia
(08) 7127 4630
[email protected]
ABN 40 538 422 811
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