Perilous Pursuit of Preserving Endangered Species: Abseiling Horticulturists Save Gumnuts from Cliff Face.
In a daring feat of horticultural heroism, two abseiling experts - rock climber and team leader Ollie Sherlock and Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria (RBGV) horticulturist Amy Downie - embarked on an arduous 5-day expedition to rescue gumnuts from a critically endangered tree situated precariously 90m down a 300m cliff face in Wadbilliga national park, New South Wales.
Amy Downie, skilled at navigating hard-to-reach plants in RBGV's Grey Garden, was roped in for her expertise in abseiling. Her colleague Ollie Sherlock added his prowess as a rock climber and team leader to the mix. The duo formed an unbeatable team to tackle one of Australia's most inaccessible environments.
With steep slopes, rocky hilltops, and shallow soils characteristic of the Jillaga Ash tree - also known as Eucalyptus stenostoma (Jillaga Ash) - Downie noted that "the abseiling site had never been descended before." Their resourcefulness was on full display when they tied two ropes together to extend their reach.
Utilizing a pole pruner, the duo carefully collected gumnuts from four trees. The collected samples will be used to grow seedlings in an effort to boost populations and save the Jillaga Ash tree from extinction. Additionally, cuttings will be stored and dried for future generations.
A recent threat to the Wadbilliga population - nearly destroyed during the black summer bushfires - highlights the urgency of this mission. The Jillaga Ash tree can live up to 400 years but lacks post-fire regeneration capabilities. It usually thrives on steep slopes, rocky hilltops, and ridgelines with limited soil depth.
The New South Wales government has funded the Threatened Species Conservancy's efforts to save six species in the region, including the critically endangered Jillaga Ash tree.
In the aftermath of this daring rescue mission, Downie expressed interest in exploring new locations where abseiling can be utilized for future plant rescues. Ollie Sherlock added that their experience underscored the potential benefits and challenges associated with utilizing drones to identify plants and assess risks before retrieval.
The RBGV's state botanical collection now holds more than 1.5m specimens, including the rescued Jillaga Ash seeds, ensuring a safer haven for these endangered species in the future.
In a daring feat of horticultural heroism, two abseiling experts - rock climber and team leader Ollie Sherlock and Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria (RBGV) horticulturist Amy Downie - embarked on an arduous 5-day expedition to rescue gumnuts from a critically endangered tree situated precariously 90m down a 300m cliff face in Wadbilliga national park, New South Wales.
Amy Downie, skilled at navigating hard-to-reach plants in RBGV's Grey Garden, was roped in for her expertise in abseiling. Her colleague Ollie Sherlock added his prowess as a rock climber and team leader to the mix. The duo formed an unbeatable team to tackle one of Australia's most inaccessible environments.
With steep slopes, rocky hilltops, and shallow soils characteristic of the Jillaga Ash tree - also known as Eucalyptus stenostoma (Jillaga Ash) - Downie noted that "the abseiling site had never been descended before." Their resourcefulness was on full display when they tied two ropes together to extend their reach.
Utilizing a pole pruner, the duo carefully collected gumnuts from four trees. The collected samples will be used to grow seedlings in an effort to boost populations and save the Jillaga Ash tree from extinction. Additionally, cuttings will be stored and dried for future generations.
A recent threat to the Wadbilliga population - nearly destroyed during the black summer bushfires - highlights the urgency of this mission. The Jillaga Ash tree can live up to 400 years but lacks post-fire regeneration capabilities. It usually thrives on steep slopes, rocky hilltops, and ridgelines with limited soil depth.
The New South Wales government has funded the Threatened Species Conservancy's efforts to save six species in the region, including the critically endangered Jillaga Ash tree.
In the aftermath of this daring rescue mission, Downie expressed interest in exploring new locations where abseiling can be utilized for future plant rescues. Ollie Sherlock added that their experience underscored the potential benefits and challenges associated with utilizing drones to identify plants and assess risks before retrieval.
The RBGV's state botanical collection now holds more than 1.5m specimens, including the rescued Jillaga Ash seeds, ensuring a safer haven for these endangered species in the future.
like who would've thought abseiling horticulturists would be savin the day? it's so amazing that they got to use their skills to help protect endangered species in australia i wish there were more ppl out there carein about wildlife conservation
. I mean, who would've thought that abseiling horticulturists would be the ones saving gumnuts from a cliff face? It's like something out of an action movie! The fact that they had to tie two ropes together just to get to those little guys is just genius. And can you imagine being stuck 90m up a cliff with no way down? 
The risks these people take for the sake of conservation are mind-blowing.
And the fact that their efforts could potentially save a species from extinction is just incredible. It's moments like these that remind me why conservation work is so important.
Wouldn't that be awesome? Anyway, props to the RBGV and the Threatened Species Conservancy for their amazing work! 
! Using pole pruners to collect gumnuts? That's some next-level plant whispering right there 
. And I love that they're thinking about the bigger picture, too - using drones to identify plants and assess risks before retrieval is a total game-changer.
. Can't wait to see what other adventures these two have in store for us!
they're basically climbing cliffs to save gumnuts from extinction lol what's next? Space travel to rescue space plants? 
just kidding (kinda) but seriously though, I think it's amazing that they were able to collect those seeds without anyone getting hurt. It's crazy how much dedication and expertise goes into something like this. And yeah, drones could be super helpful in planning out missions like this before the actual rescue team even sets foot on site 
they rappelled down 300m cliffs 4 days straight 2 rescue these tiny tree thingys 
its like something out of a movie!!! these ppl are literally heroes 
u gotta respect them, they did this in the name of science & conservation 
I mean, can you even believe what these two Aussie adventurers did?! 
It's like they're the real-life superhero plant rescuers or something 
anyway i think its so cool that they're actually helping out the environment, like we should all be doing more of that rn. and omg the fact that their ropes were tied together to reach further is pure genius 
they literally saved gumnuts from a cliff face what kind of training do you need to abseil down a 300m cliff 
i hope the collected seeds will help boost the population of jillaga ash trees - it's heartbreaking that they're critically endangered 
and i love that the rbgv is using drones to identify plants and assess risks before retrieval 
. It's also pretty cool to think about how these seeds will be used to grow new seedlings and potentially save the species. And I'm curious about this drone thing Ollie mentioned, could it make future plant rescues even easier and more efficient? 
i mean, can't just hire someone to climb trees and save the world? seems like overkill to me... and btw, who thought it was a good idea to have gumnuts on cliffs 90m up? are they gonna put 'em in space or something? 