Translocation of the resinous Eremophila, from test tube, to a degraded bushland site in the wheatbelt of Western Australia

Summary

Resinous Eremophila (Eremophila resinosa), an Endangered Western Australian shrub known from 24 wild populations totaling 697 plants, mostly on a rehabilitated mine site near Westonia, faces threats from road maintenance, herbicide drift, rabbit grazing and future mining. Kings Park Botanic Gardens ran a one-year pilot translocation to a 0.2-hectare degraded, deep-ripped and fenced bushland site near the town, planting 321 tissue-cultured clones from five genetic lines in a grid pattern in 2004 to maximize diversity, followed in 2005 by 257 additional seedlings grown from seed collected from further minesite plants mixed with the original clones' seed, since Eremophila species are notoriously difficult to germinate from their hard, woody fruit. No flowering plants were translocated, to avoid unwanted cross-pollination in the nursery, and strict phytosanitary controls targeted root pathogens. Early losses were attributed to uneven trickle-irrigation delivery, worsened after a water pump was stolen, and to competition from nearby tree roots; despite this, survival proved remarkably strong, with 500 of the original plants still present by November 2009, most flowering and setting viable seed in their first year and every year since. Natural recruitment from the substantial soil seed bank has been slow, with only four seedlings recorded so far, one of which has itself flowered and set seed. Major difficulties included managing remote volunteer labor, weed control complicated by unpredictable rainfall, and limited long-term monitoring funding. The project rates itself Highly Successful, citing strong survival, successful tissue-culture and seed propagation methods, and productive collaboration with mine operators and volunteers.