Abstract
In Victoria, 59 nationally threatened orchid species have draft or completed recovery plans. The Victorian Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE) has the primary responsibility of implementing these recovery plans. DSE has a limited capacity to complete all identified actions and objectives of the recovery plans. A large resource of non-government personnel, made up of Australian Native Orchid Society members, field naturalists, and the general community, is available to assist with a range of conservation actions. Members of these groups possess a range of skills and experience, share a passion for orchid conservation, and provide continuity of involvement. To encourage the formation of partnerships, DSE has established the "Botanic Guardians" scheme, which funds community groups that undertake small projects to help conserve threatened native plants, including orchids in Victoria. This paper highlights numerous successful actions undertaken by government and community groups in partnership. These include broad-scale surveying and annual counts of larger populations; site management such as caging plants, hand pollination, in-situ management and seed collection/dispersal; group searches of potential habitat to discover new populations; and ex-situ cultivation.
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