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Project: 355/2023

Title: Preventing extinction of five endangered orchid species

Applicant: Dr Noushka Reiter

Institution: Royal Botanic Gardens, Victoria

Ex situ conservation programs are needed for many threatened orchid species, and creating ex situ insurance collections is a key step in this conservation recovery journey. For five endangered Victorian orchid species this project will collect a diversity of seed and mycorrhizal fungi and preserve these in perpetuity in state conservation collections. We will symbiotically propagate each species creating permanent ex situ living collections that will be housed at the Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria Orchid Conservation Program in perpetuity and used for future seed orcharding and translocations. The project focuses on:

• Caladenia clavescens
• Prasophyllum anticum
• Prasophyllum readii
• Pterostylis spissa
• Thelymitra matthewsii

This project will help to raise the profile of these species in the community. We will collaborate with land managers and the conservation community, which may help to stimulate interest and further conservation actions for these species.

These conservation activities are held on the lands of the Eastern Maar, Wadawurrung, Dja Dja Wurrung, Bunurong and Gunaikurnai People and we wish to acknowledge them as Traditional Owners. We would also like to pay our respects to their Elders, past and present.