Royal Botanic Gardens – conserving Australia’s plants for the future Royal Botanic Gardens Board Victoria Annual Report 2000/01 Contents Contact Details and Maps ROYAL BOTANIC GARDENS MELBOURNE Patron, Dame Elisabeth Murdoch AC DBE Mission IFC ROYAL BOTANIC GARDENS DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM MELBOURNE Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne Charter, Values 1 Birdwood Avenue Birdwood Avenue Major Achievements 2 (Private Bag 2000) (Private Bag 2000) South Yarra Victoria South Yarra Victoria Major Challenge 4 Mission Australia 3141 Australia 3141 Chairman’s Foreword 6 Telephone +61 3 9252 2300 Telephone +61 3 9252 2303 Facsimile +61 3 9252 2442 Facsimile +61 3 9252 2413 Director’s Report 7 To advance the knowledge and Email [email protected] Email [email protected] Corporate Governance 8 enjoyment of plants, and to Internet site www.rbg.vic.gov.au Internet site www.rbg.vic.gov.au The Organisation 10 ROYAL BOTANIC GARDENS Donations to the Royal Botanic Gardens CRANBOURNE Melbourne of more than $2 are Generous Financial Support 14 foster their conservation, in 1000 Ballarto Road tax-deductible. The Royal Botanic Gardens is an authorised recipient insti- Corporate Plan Priorities 16 Cranbourne Victoria tution in the Federal Government’s Australia 3977 order to give people a better Cultural Gifts Program. Annual Outputs Telephone +61 3 5990 2200 Plant Sciences 18 Facsimile +61 3 5990 2250 FRIENDS OF THE ROYAL BOTANIC GARDENS, MELBOURNE INC understanding of the essential Email [email protected] ROYAL BOTANIC GARDENS CRANBOURNE Management of Administered Assets 20 Internet site www.rbg.vic.gov.au Gate Lodge Birdwood Avenue Visitor Programs 22 part that plants play in all life AUSTRALIAN RESEARCH CENTRE FOR URBAN ECOLOGY South Yarra Victoria Australia 3141 Businesses 24 Telephone +61 3 9650 6398 c/o School of Botany Facsimile +61 3 9650 7723 Volunteers, Support Groups and on earth. The University of Melbourne Honorary Associates 25 Parkville Victoria FRIENDS OF THE ROYAL BOTANIC Australia 3052 GARDENS, CRANBOURNE INC. Our Employees 28 Telephone +61 3 8344 0416 Mr Max Officer Outlook 30 Facsimile +61 3 9347 5460 c/o Royal Botanic Gardens Cranbourne Cover image: 1000 Ballarto Road Financial Overview 32 VOLUNTARY GUIDES COORDINATOR The image on the front cover of this Annual Cranbourne Victoria Australia 3977 Report is of a leaf from a shrub called Grevillea Auditor-General’s Report 33 Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne Telephone +61 3 5990 2200 infecunda McGill. This rare species is restricted Telephone +61 3 9252 2300 Facsimile +61 3 5990 2250 in its distribution to the Angelsea-Airey’s Inlet Financial Statements 34 area in southwest Victoria. Sarah Kimpton, PhD VOLUNTEERS COORDINATOR student of the Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne Appendices 50 National Herbarium of Victoria and the University of Melbourne, is currently Compliance Index 65 Telephone +61 3 9252 2300 researching ways in which this species can be conserved for the future. Contact Details and Maps IBC © Royal Botanic Gardens Board Victoria, 2001 Designed by Nuttshell Graphics The Hon Sherryl Garbutt, MP Minister for Environment and Conservation. The Royal Botanic Gardens Board Victoria (RBG) is responsible to the Minister for Environment and Conservation. The Royal Botanic Gardens Board administers the Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne (RBG Melbourne), the Royal Botanic Gardens Cranbourne (RBG Cranbourne), the National Herbarium of Victoria, the State Botanical Collection and the Australian Research Centre for Urban Ecology (ARCUE). Patron of the RBG is Dame Elisabeth Murdoch AC DBE, a valued supporter of the RBG for many years. Charter Objectives under the Royal Botanic Gardens Act 1991, are: (a) To conserve, protect and improve the botanic gardens and managed land and their collections of living plants; (b) To conserve and enhance the State botanical collection and National Herbarium of Victoria; (c) To provide for the use of the State botanical collection or plants or plant specimens at the botanic gardens or managed land for scientific or reference purposes, consistent with accepted international practice; (d) To increase public knowledge and awareness of plants and plant communities; (e) To provide for the use of the botanic gardens for education, public enjoyment and tourism. Values In our dealings with staff, visitors and clients, and in our management of issues and performance on a day-to-day basis, we are committed to the values of achievement, excellence, fairness, innovation, integrity, professionalism and trust. Developing our culture to produce and support these values is critical to our future corporate success. Living these values will facilitate the achievement of our Mission. Major The Ian Potter Foundation Visitation to RBG Melbourne Children’s Garden Achievements 2.00 RBG Melbourne has received a grant 1.75 of $650,000 from The Ian Potter 1.50 Foundation for a three-year project to 1.25 VISITATION (Millions) VISITATION create a garden especially for children. 1.00 The Ian Potter Foundation Children’s 0.75 Garden will be a place where children 0.50 can delight in nature and discover a 0.25 Green Corp volunteers at Long Island. Acacia leprosa ‘Scarlet Blaze’ Children enjoying themselves at BushFest 2001. Victorian school students unveiling passion for plants. 0.00 The Magic Pudding sculpture. 97/98 98/99 99/00 00/01 YEAR Rehabilitating Long Island Acacia leprosa ‘Scarlet Blaze’ It will be a garden that celebrates the The first stage of the Long Island RBG Melbourne celebrated the launch of imagination and curiosity of children restoration project at RBG Melbourne Victoria’s newest plant – a unique variant and fosters the creative nature of play. Unlocking Scientific Treasures The William Buckland Foundation will RBG Cranbourne and Conservation Research Visitation to RBG Cranbourne has been completed. The project involves of Cinnamon Wattle (Acacia leprosa Encouraging and providing The first stage of the Scientific Treasures of provide funding over three years South East Water BushFest 2001 The first ‘Ex-situ Orchid Conservation replacing most of the pre-existing exotic ‘Scarlet Blaze’ ) that exhibits remarkable opportunities for children to make 75 the Royal Botanic Gardens project has toward the mounting of the Australian The second annual BushFest was Forum’ was hosted and co-sponsored vegetation with indigenous plant blood-red flowers. Collection, while the Hermon Slade connections with plants and nature will been completed, with the assistance of a held at RBG Cranbourne on Sunday by the RBG, with the Department of 60 communities such as wetlands, swamp help them to develop positive attitudes ‘Scarlet Blaze’ was successfully substantial grant from the John T Reid Foundation is supporting, in particular, 18 March 2001, allowing families to Natural Resources and Environment, paperbark and grassy woodland to create and actions towards their environment. the mounting and databasing of the explore, discover and enjoy RBG 45 propagated by horticultural staff at Australian Charitable Trust. over two days in November 2000. (Thousands) VISITATION a billabong and wetland system typical RBG Melbourne from cuttings taken from specimens of the Myrtaceae family Cranbourne’s native bushland and The Garden is set to become Australia’s of the meandering Lower Yarra over The seven-year project has a dual A great deal of valuable research is 30 a single red-flowered Cinnamon Wattle (eucalypts, paperbarks, etc). wetland environments. major environmental education garden 200 years ago. objective - to mount the remaining being undertaken on Australia’s rich and discovered in 1995 in state forest near for children. The centrepiece of the new 15 100,000 higher plant specimens in the Through the ‘Australia’s Virtual Herbarium’ Jointly sponsored by RBG Cranbourne diverse orchid flora, including its many Funding of $144,000 from Parks Victoria Melbourne. Garden - The Magic Pudding sculpture, National Herbarium’s 19th century project the botanical records of the six and South East Water, BushFest is an rare and threatened species. The forum 0 for stage one has enabled the removal of based on characters from Sir Norman 97/98 98/99 99/00 00/01 The red-flowered wattle is undoubtedly Australian Collection, and to complete a million plant specimens housed in the environment and art-based community presented an unprecedented YEAR the existing understorey, planting of Lindsay’s famous story - has been one of the most unexpected and computerised database of the 500,000 National Herbarium of Victoria and other day that aims to encourage greater opportunity to forge and strengthen indigenous species and the construction installed, and is already a popular significant discoveries in recent Australian Australian higher plant specimens. major Herbaria throughout Australia will appreciation and conservation of links between organisations involved in of some visitor features such as attraction for visitors. The sculpture was horticulture, and was selected as Victoria’s be preserved for the future. The five-year Australia’s natural environment. orchid conservation, including Number of students who have boardwalks and paths. Some 13,000 Australian higher plant the brainchild of the Committee for floral emblem for the national Centenary project will create an unprecedented government and tertiary institutions. participated in Education Service specimens have now been mounted, and Attractions of the well-attended Melbourne and was sponsored by Representing a most significant landscape of Federation