A parcel of VicTrack-owned land near Clyde is a key site in a collaborative project to protect plant biodiversity and save an endangered daisy from extinction.
The Wylies Creek Ecological Corridor Restoration Project, led by the Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria (RBGV) Cranbourne, is collecting seeds from the Swamp Everlasting (Xerochrysum palustre) – a small yellow-flowering native daisy – for future revegetation.
“Our project hopes to revegetate just under 30,000 plants into our southern grasslands area, and specifically support local populations of threatened species of both flora and fauna,” explained Tricia Stewart, Natural Systems Team Leader with RBGC and Wylies Creek Project Manager.
In addition to the Swamp Everlasting, the VicTrack land alongside a rail trail in Clyde is known to hold several species of other vulnerable or endangered flora and provides habitat to the Southern Brown Bandicoot.
“Some of VicTrack’s disused rail lines are key biodiversity corridors for significant species, like the Swamp Everlasting,” Eunjee Vella, VicTrack’s Environmental Programs Manager said.
“We’re very pleased to collaborate with the Royal Botanic Gardens to preserve and enhance the genetic diversity of rare biodiversity within the region, which is something VicTrack is committed to.”
Turning the tide on species extinction
Genetic testing on the small patch of daisies later revealed they consist of only two individual plants, meaning the genetic diversity is small and vulnerable. And with the species found at only a handful sites, preserving what’s left is even more important.
“Habitat loss has led to a significant decline in the species across the entire region, which makes every single remaining individual plant critically important,” Tricia said.
“If we were to lose that population of plants, that could potentially be 30 per cent of the genetics of the entire species left in this southeast region gone; so, it’s really significant.
“Long term, the seed from VicTrack land is helping us to potentially turn the tide on a local species extinction.”
Collecting seeds for future revegetation
To help preserve the species, the RBGC team commenced a multi-year program to map flowering plants and collect their seeds.
“As the plants finish flowering, we place a little bag over the flower and wait for the seed to develop inside there,” Tricia explained.
“That way it doesn't matter if we're not there at the exact time that the seed's released because it will fall into the bag and we can retrieve it.
“We only ever take a small percentage of the seed. We would never take all of the seed from a plant because we need to leave some for the local environment so that that population can persist.”
Once the seed is collected it is propagated for revegetation. Some plants are made available to local schools as part of Raising Rarity school outreach program – funded by the Australian Government’s Nature Fund.
A major revegetation program will take place at an RBGC site where the team is recreating some of the ephemeral wetlands that existed there decades ago.
“The site will provide the perfect conditions for the Swamp Daisy and some other plant species to persist in the landscape,” Tricia said.
“Once we have an established population with genetic diversity, we can then work with surrounding land managers to provide them the opportunity to collect seeds from our population and use that in their revegetation.”
The Wylies Creek Project, which is funded by the Australian Government through the Urban Rivers and Catchments Program, is expected to conclude in 2028. Seeds are also being collected from other sites through collaboration with local municipalities, Melbourne Water, South East Water and Parks Victoria.
“None of this work could happen without having partnerships across different organisations, including VicTrack,” Tricia said.
“We can have big plans about what we hope to achieve with revegetation, but we don’t have the land.
“The saving of any of these species has to be a collaboration across all the organisations or it just falls down.
“Without that flora population and without access to VicTrack land, the overall program would be weaker.”
A parcel of VicTrack-owned land near Clyde is a key site in a collaborative project to protect plant biodiversity and save an endangered daisy from extinction.
The Wylies Creek Ecological Corridor Restoration Project, led by the Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria (RBGV) Cranbourne, is collecting seeds from the Swamp Everlasting (Xerochrysum palustre) – a small yellow-flowering native daisy – for future revegetation.
“Our project hopes to revegetate just under 30,000 plants into our southern grasslands area, and specifically support local populations of threatened species of both flora and fauna,” explained Tricia Stewart, Natural Systems Team Leader with RBGC and Wylies Creek Project Manager.
In addition to the Swamp Everlasting, the VicTrack land alongside a rail trail in Clyde is known to hold several species of other vulnerable or endangered flora and provides habitat to the Southern Brown Bandicoot.
“Some of VicTrack’s disused rail lines are key biodiversity corridors for significant species, like the Swamp Everlasting,” Eunjee Vella, VicTrack’s Environmental Programs Manager said.
“We’re very pleased to collaborate with the Royal Botanic Gardens to preserve and enhance the genetic diversity of rare biodiversity within the region, which is something VicTrack is committed to.”
Turning the tide on species extinction
Genetic testing on the small patch of daisies later revealed they consist of only two individual plants, meaning the genetic diversity is small and vulnerable. And with the species found at only a handful sites, preserving what’s left is even more important.
“Habitat loss has led to a significant decline in the species across the entire region, which makes every single remaining individual plant critically important,” Tricia said.
“If we were to lose that population of plants, that could potentially be 30 per cent of the genetics of the entire species left in this southeast region gone; so, it’s really significant.
“Long term, the seed from VicTrack land is helping us to potentially turn the tide on a local species extinction.”
Collecting seeds for future revegetation
To help preserve the species, the RBGC team commenced a multi-year program to map flowering plants and collect their seeds.
“As the plants finish flowering, we place a little bag over the flower and wait for the seed to develop inside there,” Tricia explained.
“That way it doesn't matter if we're not there at the exact time that the seed's released because it will fall into the bag and we can retrieve it.
“We only ever take a small percentage of the seed. We would never take all of the seed from a plant because we need to leave some for the local environment so that that population can persist.”
Once the seed is collected it is propagated for revegetation. Some plants are made available to local schools as part of Raising Rarity school outreach program – funded by the Australian Government’s Nature Fund.
A major revegetation program will take place at an RBGC site where the team is recreating some of the ephemeral wetlands that existed there decades ago.
“The site will provide the perfect conditions for the Swamp Daisy and some other plant species to persist in the landscape,” Tricia said.
“Once we have an established population with genetic diversity, we can then work with surrounding land managers to provide them the opportunity to collect seeds from our population and use that in their revegetation.”
The Wylies Creek Project, which is funded by the Australian Government through the Urban Rivers and Catchments Program, is expected to conclude in 2028. Seeds are also being collected from other sites through collaboration with local municipalities, Melbourne Water, South East Water and Parks Victoria.
“None of this work could happen without having partnerships across different organisations, including VicTrack,” Tricia said.
“We can have big plans about what we hope to achieve with revegetation, but we don’t have the land.
“The saving of any of these species has to be a collaboration across all the organisations or it just falls down.
“Without that flora population and without access to VicTrack land, the overall program would be weaker.”
