Alice Springs Desert Park is delivering a unique conservation program to protect and promote rare, threatened and significant desert plants.Supported by funding from the Australian Heritage Grants Program, the project complements landmark NT Government investments in park upgrades, new eco-tourism products in Territory parks, and critical infrastructure projects in Watarrka National Park.Finocchiaro CLP Government is protecting and promoting our unique Territory parks and wildlife as we grow our visitor economy and restore our unique Territory lifestyle.
Excitement is blooming in the desert as the Alice Springs Desert Park partners with the Australian Seed Bank Partnership to deliver a conservation program safeguarding rare Red Centre plants in Watarrka National Park.
The two-year Living Desert Heirlooms project will collect seeds from rare desert plants, supporting conservation in one of Australia's most important botanical conservation area, home to a whopping 691 recorded native plant species including the iconic Desert quandong.
Minister for Parks and Wildlife, Marie-Clare Boothby, said the project backed in the Finocchiaro CLP Government's investment in promoting Territory parks.
"We know that places like Kings Canyon are huge tourism drawcards, attracting over 200,000 visitors last year alone. They're also an essential part of our lifestyle offering as well, particularly in our 'Dark Sky Territory' with vast open spaces and dark skies you can't find anywhere else," said Minister Boothby.
"That's why we're investing in parks and wildlife like never before, with a brand-new walking and campground trail in Watarrka, upgrades to the Kings Canyon Rim Walk, a new visitor hub with interpretive displays, a Watarrka Waterhole Wildlife livestream project here with Charles Darwin University, and critical infrastructure projects for local water and fuel storage."
It follows the Minister's launch of Bugtopia, the first new exhibit at Territory Wildlife Park in a decade. It also comes as the Finocchiaro CLP Government unlocks investment opportunities across the Territory's 5.1 million hectares of parks, including new glamping accommodation at Territory Wildlife Park and Alice Springs Desert Park, giving visitors unique ways to experience our spectacular parks and wildlife.
Minister for Lands, Planning and Environment and Member for Braitling, Joshua Burgoyne, welcomed this collaboration as an example of how the CLP Government is leveraging partnerships and local expertise to deliver practical environmental outcomes for the Territory.
"The Territory's environment is home to so much incredible wildlife - that includes the wildflowers and native plants in Kings Canyon and the wider Watarrka National Park here in Central Australia, which our locals are doing fantastic work to conserve for generations to come," said Minister Burgoyne.
"Whether it's wildflowers in the desert, endangered sawfish in the Top End, or dugongs in the recently expanded Limmen Bight Marine Park, our Government is making a practical difference to promote our parks and wildlife."
Director of the Alice Springs Desert Park, Dr Bruce Pascoe, said the Living Desert Heirlooms project is a unique opportunity to highlight our work as a botanic garden in Central Australia.
"Through this project, we can play an active role in the ex-situ conservation of these rare and special plant species, while contributing to broader efforts to protect Australia's arid zone flora," he said.
"We're proud to be working alongside a diverse range of stakeholders, sharing knowledge and contributing to important scientific research that will help safeguard these species for future generations."
Living Desert Heirlooms is an Australian Seed Bank Partnership project funded by the Australian Government under the Australian Heritage Grants Program. It is delivered in collaboration with the Alice Springs Desert Park, NT Herbarium, Australia National Botanic Gardens and the Central Land Council.
