Going, going, gone

Going, Going, Gone?By Spencer ShawCan it be possible to have too many plants and animals cluttering up our local environment? South East Queensland is full to the brim with plants and animals (with over three and a half thousand plant species alone). Surely it wouldn’t be too bad to lose just a few of them!Just think plant I.D books would be shorter for starters, the ‘bush’ would look more uniform and less cluttered and we’d need less Botanists because there would be fewer plants to argue about. Also seed collectors would find life a lot easier – without having to chase this or that, rare, endangered or vulnerable plant. After all isn’t evolution about survival of the fittest and if some of these plants can’t cut it in the game of life then why should we waste any time on them?OK now I’ve got your attention!Over the last decade we have seen a growing awareness of local environmental issues and the ‘environment’ isn’t somewhere else, hidden in the middle of some distant rainforest. The ‘environment’ starts here folks and your garden is the front line. Every local plant that goes back in your garden is a step in the right direction. Plant life is a fundamental building block in any ecological system and if we are to ensure the survival of the fragments of forest dotted around the range we must cultivate the same species in our gardens. The habitat value of these local plantings will bring back the birds, butterflies and frogs to our gardens where we can appreciate them, and even more importantly allow them to move between forest fragments and thus ensure their survival.A few years ago I was fortunate enough to collect some Galbulimima baccata fruit from a spectacular remnant at Reesville. This amazing tree (one of the oldest flowering plants) is very uncommon in our local forests, but we were fortunate enough to collect and germinate a few plants. This tree was probably uncommon before the clearing of our forests took place but now that it is isolated in small fragments its survival could be in doubt. Even though the trees may produce a few thousand fruit every 2-3 years, most of these fruit unfortunately contain no viable seed (perhaps an insect that took care of pollination is no longer common due to habitat fragmentation). My estimate would be that the tree I collected from would only produce a few hundred viable seed every few years and being isolated within this forest fragment also reduces the capacity of those seed to germinate and continue the species.The future existence for so many species like Galbulimima is in our hands. The forest fragments that we currently are fortunate enough to live with such as Mary Cairncross are but a shadow of their former splendor and even that shadow may fade if we all, as a community, do not act to ensure not only the survival but also expansion of our local plant communities.Keep your eyes out for these aromatic red fruits on the forest floor during May to July.