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Event title Date Details
Plant Science Group Technical Talk: Dr Greg Baines and Dr Michael Mulvaney, The ACT Rare Plants List. VENUE: THEATRETTE at the ANBG. Monday, 1 June 2015 - 10:30am

In 2012 the ACT Flora and Fauna Committee agreed a list of plant species that are rare in the ACT. Detailed work was subsequently carried out to compile lists of rare plants present in each component of Canberra Nature Park. In the joint presentation, Greg will firstly talk on how the ACT rare plants list was established, outlining the processes used and the underlying scientific basis of the work. Michael will then talk about mechanisms being used to gain new information about rare species to help ensure the list remains accurate.

Assistant Professor Dianne Gleeson, ‘Wildlife detection using environmental DNA’ Thursday, 28 May 2015 - 12:30pm to 1:30pm

Associate Professor Dianne Gleeson research interests are in the application of DNA technologies for biodiversity conservation outcomes. Specifically this has been applied to population genetics of threatened species (invertebrates & vertebrates) and in the developing field of wildlife forensics. She is interested in application of next generation sequencing technologies to applications within ecology such as species detection from trace DNA samples and diet analysis of gut/scat contents.

Professor Richard Duncan, ‘The impact of humans; patterns of bird extinction in remote Pacific Islands’ Thursday, 21 May 2015 - 12:30pm to 1:30pm

The remote islands of the South Pacific were the last habitable region on Earth to be colonized by humans. A massive extinction event followed human colonization, with fossil deposits revealing the loss of thousands of bird populations on islands across the Pacific. However gaps in the fossil record mean that considerable uncertainty surrounds the magnitude and pattern of these extinctions.

Dr Michael Mulvaney, ‘Red Hill Regenerators’ Thursday, 14 May 2015 - 12:30pm to 1:30pm

Michael’s talk will be a natural history of Red Hill from its geological formation to the plants and animals that occur there today. It will have a specific focus but will place Red Hill into a wider ACT conservation context.

Dr Judy West, ‘Forest music’ : A Canberra International Music Festival event Tuesday, 5 May 2015 - 12:00pm to 1:30pm

Please note there will be no Thursday Talk in the Auditorium this week instead the 2015 Canberra International Music Festival will host a programme in ANBG called‘A musical treasure hunt through a green labyrinth: the ultimate ecological experience’. Charges may apply.

Plant Science Group Technical Talk: Heino Lepp, 'Lichens - Colour and Chemistry'. VENUE: THEATRETTE at the ANBG. Monday, 4 May 2015 - 10:30am

Lichens and other fungi come in a variety of colours, which may change if you apply a drop of a suitable chemical.  Are such reactions useful for identification or for taxonomic purposes? Have you ever wondered how useful household bleach, ammonia or vanillin are in the study of lichens or of fungi in general? These are some of the subjects being talking about.

Heino Lepp is a Scientific Associate of the Australian National Herbarium, curating the Fungi Collection and undertaking associated research projects. He also assists with public identifications of fungi.

Kevin Thiele, ‘Species, taxonomy, genomics and you: a guide for the perplexed’ Thursday, 30 April 2015 - 12:30pm to 1:30pm

Dr Kevin Thiele is the head of the Western Australian Herbarium and a practicing taxonomic and systematic botanist. He and his colleagues at the Herbarium and elsewhere regularly discover and name new species (and of course also rename perfectly good existing ones), and have to grapple with many of the issues that will be discussed in this talk. He also has a particular interest in the social context and implications of taxonomy, causing him perhaps to struggle even more than average with the conundrums of taxonomy and its relationships with science and society.

Dr Judy West and Dr Zoe Knapp ‘The Role of the ANBG in Contributing to the Global Strategy' Thursday, 23 April 2015 - 12:30pm to 1:30pm

Judy West, Executive Director of the ANBG, and Zoe Knapp of Parks Australia, will provide an overview of the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation.

Matthew Higgins ‘Burramys: Possums with Altitude’ Thursday, 16 April 2015 - 12:30pm to 1:30pm

Matthew will talk about this iconic and endangered mammal that is rarely seen.

Walking with the Birds Sunday, 12 April 2015 - 8:00am to 9:30am

Friends are invited to join experienced guides on an early morning walk in the Gardens with an emphasis on bird watching. The walk will start from the Visitor Centre at 8 am and go for approx 1½ hours. Gates will be open from 7.45. Some binoculars will be provided but please bring your own if you have them.

 

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