ANNEX 1
Project Synopsis and Budget: Phase Two of the Project
This document consists of a Project Synopsis and Budget for Phase Two of the collaboration between the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew (“RBG Kew”) and the Western
Australian Department of Conservation & Land Management (“CALM”). It represents the results of significant discussions between RBG Kew, CALM and BGPA and sets out an agreed budget for a continued collaboration to run until December 31 st 2009.
A.
PROJECT SYNOPSIS
1. PROJECT BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION FOR PHASE TWO
1.1
The following institutions (the “Partners”) previously developed a ten year collaborative project (the “Project”) to support existing ex-situ seed conservation initiatives in Western Australia. The Project was designed to be managed in three phases. Phase 1 ran from 24 th April 2001 to 5 th September 2004. Negotiations have taken place to design a second phase of the Project (in lieu of the original plan for
Phases Two & Three) to run from 6 th September 2004 until 31 st December 2009. This
Phase Two is linked to a renewal and extension of the Access and Benefit Sharing
Agreement between RBG Kew and CALM.
The Department of Conservation and Land Management (“CALM”) works with the community throughout the State to conserve and maintain Western Australia’s wildlife and the lands, waters and resources entrusted to the Department for the benefit of present and future generations. CALM has the lead responsibility for conserving the State’s bio-diversity at ecosystem, species and genetic levels. Through the Threatened Flora Seed Centre (“TFSC”), CALM stores seed of rare and threatened plants so that their irreplaceable genes will not be lost and so that they can ultimately be reintroduced into the wild.
The Botanic Gardens and Parks Authority (“BG&PA”) is a statutory authority of the Western Australian State Government responsible to the Minister for the
Environment, Employment and Training and operates within the Botanic Gardens and Parks Authority Act 1998
. The Seed Technology Centre (“STC”) and Orchid
Research Group (“ORG”) both contribute to BG&PA’s activities of undertaking and promoting leading edge science and interpretation pertinent to integrated conservation of flora for present and future generations. BG&PA also works with other seed collection teams in pursuit of their mission, notably with Greening Australia (“WA”) who will be contracted to make seed collections during the Project under the guidance of BG&PA.
The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (“RBG Kew”) is a botanical garden incorporated in the United Kingdom by statute and an exempt charity whose mission is to “ensure better management of the Earth’s environment by increasing knowledge and understanding of the plant and fungal kingdoms – the basis of life on earth” . RBG
Kew is sponsored by the United Kingdom Department of Environment, Food, and
Rural Affairs (“DEFRA”), which is ultimately responsible to Parliament for RBG
Kew’s key aims and activities. The Millennium Seed Bank Project, the major donor to which is the UK Millennium Commission, provides for the development of longterm collaborative projects between RBG, Kew and partner country institutes in order to accelerate existing in-country plant conservation programmes primarily through developing ex-situ seed conservation activities. The UK Millennium Commission has

stipulated that funding for such collaborations is dependant upon the project partners achieving satisfactory seed collections targets.
1.2
The Project will operate within and contribute to the Australian National and State
Plant Conservation Programmes as defined by:
(a) Objective 1.9 in The National Strategy which recommends the “…establishment and maintenance of seed and germplasm banks…” ;
(b) Existing State Wildlife Management Programmes in CALM regions which demands the delivery of seed stock for the implementation of threatened flora recovery projects;
(c) The 1998 publication “Western Australia’s Threatened Flora” which synthesises
CALM’s current knowledge and priorities for the recovery of Western Australia’s threatened flora;
(d) The commitments made by the State Government to the conservation of threatened flora under the “ Western Everlasting” programme;
(e) CALM’s Corporate Plan 2000-2005 which recognises through strategy no.4 the need to “…identify and protect threatened species and ecological communities…” ;
(f) CALM’s Strategic Plan 1999-2004 which identifies the need to “…maintain exsitu germplasm storage…” facilities;
(g) The Salinity Strategy from the State Salinity Council which recognises that under its strategic approach to addressing biodiversity conservation “…ex situ conservation can be used as “insurance” against extinction and to provide seed for the production and translocation of plants into safer sites…” ; and
(h) CALM’s Discussion paper 2005 towards a Biodiversity Conservation Strategy for Western Australia; “ Maintain and expand collections of biota ….including participation in national and international projects such as the Millennium Seed
Bank
.”
2. PROJECT AIM, ACTIVITIES AND OUTPUTS
2.1
Despite recognition of the achievements and the current resource base available to
CALM and BG&PA and the proposed additional resources to ex-situ plant conservation outlined in the Salinity Strategy, Western Australia is unlikely to conserve its entire threatened flora ex-situ in the foreseeable future.
2.2
An overall aim of CALM remains the ex-situ conservation of all 2514 Declared Rare and Priority Taxa in the TFSC. This Project will mobilise financial and other resources to ensure the successful collection and storage of seeds of at least 60% of this target by the completion of the Project in December 2009.
2.3
Therefore, in line with the Australian Network for Plant Conservation’s “Germplasm
Conservation Guidelines for Australia”
, the Project seeks to;
Ensure that seeds of 60% of the 2514 Declared Rare and Priority Plant Taxa for Western Australia are collected and held within ex-situ germplasm facilities

both in Western Australia and the UK within the next decade and ensure that these genetic materials can become the basis for the translocation of threatened plant species and the restoration of threatened ecological communities.
2.4
This broad aim will be achieved through the following activities;
(a) A seed collection programme;
(b) Seed studies related to germination, storage and dormancy;
(c) Long-term seed storage at CALM and BG&PA;
(d) Duplicate seed storage by RBG Kew in the Millennium Seed Bank. Associated herbarium specimens will be accessioned into the Kew Herbarium;
(e) Collaborative seed research between WA and RBG Kew scientists;
(f) Technical collaboration between Project Partners; and
(g) Publication of technical information generated through the Project.
2.5
An additional aim of the Phase Two of the Project will be to support the collecting effort through an integrated science programme to be implemented by a consortium of science staff from BG&PA, CALM and RBG Kew. This programme is the subject of more detailed documentation and has the following project logic:
Goal: Improved knowledge and effectiveness of seed-based conservation of the
Western Australian flora through dedicated, focused and collaborative research;
Purpose: Support and complement conservation of the Western Australian flora by improving knowledge and understanding of seed storage and germination biology.
The science programme will deliver three Outputs:
1.
Increase knowledge of issues affecting seed storage biology and seed germination biology by undertaking dedicated research;
2.
Increase expertise and transfer of knowledge in seed conservation biology within
WA; and
3.
Increase collaborative research outputs amongst Australian seed biologists.
3. PROJECT INPUTS FOR PHASE TWO OF THE PROJECT
3.1 Throughout Phase Two of the Project, RBG, Kew will:
(a) Provide long term ex-situ storage facilities for the duplicate plant material collected by the Partners at the Millennium Seed Bank and at the Kew
Herbarium, as appropriate;
(b) Carry out Seed Studies on the collected seed;
(c) Carry out Herbarium Studies on associated herbarium specimens;

(d) Provide CALM and BG&PA with copies of the results of such Seed Studies and
Herbarium Studies;
(e) Jointly author, with CALM and BG&PA, as appropriate, any resulting publications;
(f) Provide technical and strategic research information to CALM and BG&PA through RBG Kew’s Seed Information Group; and
(g) Provide the Partners with funds from the Millennium Seed Bank Project as detailed in the budget document at the end of this Annex.
3.2
Throughout Phase Two of the Project, CALM and BG&PA, will:
(a) Supervise and participate in the Project to ensure that the Phase Two objectives and activities, including collecting targets (see Sect. 4 below) are met;
(b) Ensure that all plant material is collected and transferred to RBG Kew in accordance with relevant Western Australian laws and regulations, permits, prior informed consents and/or licences;
(c) Provide RBG Kew with plant distribution and conservation data;
(d) Maintain duplicate collections of the material collected in ex-situ conservation facilities at CALM and BG&PA;
(e) Carry out Seed Studies on the collected seed;
(f) Carry out taxonomic verification of voucher material, as appropriate;
(g) Provide the Partners with copies of the results of such Seed Studies and taxonomic identification;
(h) Undertake collaborative seed science research activities as detailed in separate documentation; and
(i) Jointly author, with RBG Kew, as appropriate, any resulting publications.
4.
COLLECTING PRIORITIES AND ACTIVITIES
4.1
Collections resulting from Phase One of the Project have been documented through appropriate Notifications of Transfer and are available through the institutional accession databases of RBG Kew, BG&PA and CALM.
4.2
The justification and priorities for seed collection targets remain the same as in Phase
One of the Project.

4.3
Targets for Phase Two of the Project have been set in lieu of the new resources available which has allowed for significant, additional collection effort. In addition,
BG&PA will arrange for the collection and duplication of 50 species new to the
Millennium Seed Bank collections per year as a result of a new collaboration with
Greening Australia (“WA”).
4.4
The summary for Phase Two collection targets is given below:
Collection team
CALM
(TFSC)
BG&PA
(SSTC)
BG&PA
(GA(WA))
BG&PA
(ORG)
Totals
5.
Yr1
200
120
50
22
392
Yr2
200
120
50
22
392
Yr3
200
120
50
22
392
SEED STUDIES PROGRAMME
Yr4
100
120
50
22
292
Yr5
100
120
50
22
292
Phase 2 total
800
600
250
110
1760
5.1
For Phase Two of the Project, the seed studies programme has been significantly expanded as described above. Whilst routine seed processing and testing of the collections will continue to be a major part of the Project, the addition of the integrated research programme adds a new and exciting dimension to the collaboration. The research programme is the subject of additional detailed background documentation and a logical framework matrix.
6.
TECHNICAL AND RESEARCH VISITS AND EXCHANGES
6.1
Phase Two of the Project will allow for 16 visits of Research and collection staff from
BG&PA and CALM to the Millennium Seed Bank facilities over the 5 year period of the Project.