The building, named Diversity in recognition of Australia's rich biodiversity, features bushfire and pest resistant temperature-controlled vaults, designed to preserve specimens for future generations, while advancing scientific discovery.
The $90 million building was jointly funded by CSIRO and through the department's National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS).
Supported by cutting-edge laboratories and research infrastructure, the facility brings together the Australian National Wildlife Collection and Australian National Insect Collection, collected over 150 years.
The vaults contain:
- 55,000 birds, representing about 99 per cent of Australian bird species
17,000 orchids preserved in ethanol
31,000 historical egg clutches from more than 1000 bird species
37,000 tissue samples from more than 23,000 individual bird specimens
insects and related invertebrates totalling over 12 million specimens.
CSIRO's Chief Executive, Dr Doug Hilton, said the new facility will support researchers, government and industry to better monitor our environment, pests and weeds, to protect endangered species, prevent disease, and harness nature sustainably.
"For more than a century, our collections have quietly underpinned Australian science, policy, agriculture, biosecurity, and biodiversity conservation," Dr Hilton said.
"They are a hidden powerhouse, supporting everything from tracking pest incursions to discovering new species and understanding the genetic diversity of Australia's native ecosystems.
"This work contributes directly to the national interest. It informs biosecurity actions, climate resilience strategies, and land management activities. It helps us answer one of the most pressing questions of our time: How do we protect biodiversity in a changing world?"
Toni Moate, CSIRO's Director for National Collections and Marine Infrastructure said Diversity will enable researchers to move into new areas of research.
"Our research teams here keep finding new ways to use our biological collections to create a better future for Australians - from using spider wasp venoms to source new pharmaceuticals, all the way through to using historic reptile collections to track how animals respond to climate change," Ms Moate said.
Learn more about and the collections it houses: the Australian National Wildlife Collection and the Australian National Insect Collection.
