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Newsletter No.134 March 2008 Price: $5.00 Australian Systematic Botany Society Newsletter 134 (March 2008) AUSTRALIAN SYSTEMATIC BOTANY SOCIETY INCORPORATED Council President Vice President John Clarkson Darren Crayn Centre for Tropical Agriculture Australian Tropical Herbarium PO Box 1054 E2 building, James Cook University Cairns Mareeba, Queensland 4880 Campus tel: (07) 4048 4745 PO Box 6811, Cairns, Queensland 4870 email: [email protected] tel: (07) 4042 1859 email: [email protected] Secretary Kirsten Cowley Treasurer Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research Anna Monro Australian National Herbarium Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research GPO Box 1600, Canberra ACT 2601 Australian National Herbarium tel: (02) 6246 5024 GPO Box 1600 email: [email protected] Canberra ACT 2601 tel: (02) 6246 5472 Councillor email: [email protected] Dale Dixon Northern Territory Herbarium Councillor Parks & Wildlife Commission of the NT Marco Duretto PO Box 496 Tasmanian Herbarium Palmerston, NT 0831 Private Bag 4 tel.: (08) 8999 4512 Hobart, Tasmania 7001 email: [email protected] tel.: (03) 6226 1806 email: [email protected] Other Constitutional Bodies Public Officer Hansjörg Eichler Research Committee Kirsten Cowley Barbara Briggs Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research Rod Henderson Australian National Herbarium Betsy Jackes (Contact details above) Kristina Lemson Chris Quinn Chair: Darren Crayn, Vice President (ex officio) Grant applications close: 14th Mar/Sep annually Affiliate Society Papua New Guinea Botanical Society ASBS Web site www.anbg.gov.au/asbs Webmaster: Murray Fagg Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research Australian National Herbarium Email: [email protected] Loose leaf inclusions with this issue ● Nominations for ASBS Council ● ASBS Conference 2008 Circular Publication dates of previous issue Austral.Syst.Bot.Soc.Nsltr 133 (December 2007 issue) Hardcopy: 14th Feb 2008; ASBS Web site: 4th March 2008 Australian Systematic Botany Society Newsletter 134 (March 2008) From the President On the fourth of March I was fortunate to be organised by ABRS in Sydney in October 2007. able to attend the opening of the new Australian Brett Summerell, the convener of TaxA, has Tropical Herbarium. For me it was a bitter sweet provided an outline of the group and what it occasion. It sees the herbarium I set up 30 years hopes to achieve elsewhere in this Newsletter. ago in Mareeba (MBA) leave the Tablelands to ASBS has been invited to participate in the be amalgamated with the CSIRO herbarium group and looks forward to playing an active from Atherton (QRS) and elements of the James role. One of the first tasks undertaken by TaxA Cook University collection from Townsville. The has been to prepare a response to the Review combined collection is housed in a new purpose of the National Innovation System on behalf of built building within the Australian Tropical Australia taxonomic community. The review will Forest Institute (ATFI) on the Cairns campus of determine how government funds science in the James Cook University. With no ready access to future and the priorities they set. the MBA collection and the botanical library, the building seems empty and routine identification is These two things got me thinking about already proving difficult in Mareeba. On the other commitment to training and employment. My best hand, from an unashamedly parochial perspective, friend is a builder who has run a small Atherton it is pleasing to see the QRS collection remain in Tablelands based building company for the past 28 Far North Queensland. There were fears at one years. His current workforce is about 10 people. stage that it might be moved to Canberra. I am He has just taken on his fiftieth apprentice. One of looking forward to being a regular visitor to the his early apprentices is now a managing partner in new facility and I am told I will be made most the business. At least six of his former apprentices welcome. I would like to take this opportunity to are either owners or project managers of building congratulate our Vice-president, Darren Crayn, companies operating in the Far North Queensland on his appointment as foundation director of the area. At least two have gone on to tertiary studies new herbarium. in engineering and are actively involved in the construction industry. It would be great if we saw Later in March I co-signed a letter to the new this sort of commitment in botanical and faunal Federal Minister for Environment, Water, institutes across the country. Heritage and the Arts, the Hon Peter Garrett. In the lead up to the budget, the letter drew the We will need a few replacements on Council this minister’s attention to the significant skills year. I have now served the maximum 6 terms shortage in taxonomy and systematics in Australia allowable under the rules and am required to and the woefully inadequate funding for research stand down. Two of my fellow councillors have in this area. The letter, which is reproduced in full indicated that they will not be nominating for below, was co-signed by the presidents of several further terms. Anna Monro is keen to continue biological societies, conveners of ARC Networks her association with Council but would like and prominent academics. We can but wait and to step down from the Treasurer’s position to see what the budget will bring but it is important concentrate on a couple of projects which we that the facts presented in the letter are kept have been hoping to get around to for a few years. before government at every opportunity. This Please consider nominating. If you would like must remain a function of Societies such as ours. further information contact me or one of the other Councillors. With modern communication you Some members may have heard of Taxonomy could be based anywhere and play an active part Australia (TaxA), a taxonomy peak body formed in Society business. as an outcome of the National Taxonomy Forum John Clarkson Letter to Minister Garrett In 2005 and again in 2007 ASBS teamed with subsequent skills shortages could have serious several Australian biological societies to write implications for the conservation of Australia’s to the Federal Minister for the Environment and biological diversity. Following last year’s change Heritage to draw attention to the need for an of government, the societies felt that, in the enhanced training program for young taxonomists lead up to the Labor government’s first budget, and systematists across a range of biological it was important that this information should be disciplines and for additional funding for the placed before the new minister. The following Australian Biological Resources Study (ABRS). is a transcript of the letter sent to the Hon. Peter The letters pointed out that, unless redressed, the Garrett dated 20 March 2008: 1 Australian Systematic Botany Society Newsletter 134 (March 2008) Dear Minister The discovery of large numbers of insects and other invertebrate animals living in underground Re: Australian Biological Resources Study caverns and water bodies in arid central Australia The task of identifying, naming and has astounded the biological community. This understanding the Australian biota is an so-called ‘stygofauna’ (organisms living in immense and important one that is currently underground water) includes whole groups of suffering from a significant skills shortage. This blind beetles and small crustaceans that were shortage is now becoming serious to the point completely unknown only a few years ago. where there are insufficient young scientists to Many of these species have very small natural meet the demand for positions in Australian distributions. The discovery of stygofauna research institutions, and this will jeopardise the in areas of resource exploration and mining conservation of Australia’s biological diversity development has triggered a response from State and key areas of several natural resource and Federal agencies to ensure that no species industries. We strongly believe that the solution is likely to become extinct as a result of any to this impending crisis is best tackled through mining or related activity. In a similar way, the an enhanced training program and additional documentation of the Australian biota and the research funding to the Australian Biological development of a sound taxonomic knowledge- Resources Study (ABRS) that will expedite the base are of critical importance to identifying next generation of scientific expertise in this insect pests in agriculture, species that can area and the delivery of critical taxonomic and contaminate food exports, identifying our marine associated biological information. Unfortunately, resources, and recognising biosecurity threats to although the ABRS grants scheme has received our continent. Taxonomic information is also minimal CPI funding increases in recent years, crucial in understanding the processes that govern the current level of funding is significantly less the sustainable use of Australia’s water resources, (more than $500,000) than 15 years ago (1993), and the effects of climate change on Australia’s even though the cost of doing this research has unique biota. increased on average by 70%. Essentially, all these areas form key components The science of taxonomy and systematics are of the Australian Government’s National interrelated biological disciplines. Taxonomy Research Priority area – An Environmentally is the process of naming and describing new Sustainable Australia. species. Systematics is the science of determining how these species are related to each other, We believe that the increasing skills shortage and where they occur in the landscape (i.e. their diminished research capacity in taxonomy can be distribution) and, to some extent, their ecology. solved at relatively modest cost by implementing It is a modern science, informed by molecular or enhancing three critical programs. analyses, sophisticated computer databases, and careful study of organisms in the field and in 1.