Such is the expressed concern of National Tree Day founder John Dee. However, it is unclear whether the electrified plantation of 120 new seedlings will ensure the survival of the species from the ravages of changing climate.
Perhaps some comfort can be taken from the species’ 200-million-year evolutionary history, as interglacial warming periods have occurred throughout this lengthy period of survival.
In an ABC News article, a surprising report describes the location of the Wollemi Pines, which was found in 1994 in the Wollemi National Park, as secret and suggests that poaching and feral animals are threats from which the new seedlings will be protected through an electrified fence.
The public, however, should be able to visit this plantation, which was established to try and replicate the original colony as closely as possible.
Jennifer Marohasy BSc PhD is a critical thinker with expertise in the scientific method.
“Perhaps some comfort can be taken from the species’ 200-million-year evolutionary history, as interglacial warming periods have occurred throughout this lengthy period of survival.”
The reason this tree is interesting is because it has survived, but is on the edge of extinction.
The last remaining habitat for this tree is being altered beyond the point where the tree will continue to survive. This alone whould indicate that conditions of cliamte change have gone beyond previous points that cause the reduction in the habitat range for the tree.
Note: I am not attributing climate change to any particular cause, just pointing out that the tree is nearly extinct and the last place it found to cling to survival in will soon no longer support its existence.
So, the tree that has survived 200 million years through all kinds of climatic conditions – including ice ages, warm periods, dry periods and wet periods – is now under threat because of a temperature increase less than a degree?
Still, if John Dee hadn’t said that to the ABC then maybe he wouldn’t have rated a mention.
Hi Grendel,
How is the “habitat for the tree being altered”?
I thought it was all protected in a national park and don’t think there has been that much climate change in that national park …even (I think) good recent rain?
I’d be more interested in the ‘rainfall trend’ over the last 3 decades than any recent rain.
Once while living outback in the middle of a drought we’d had the occasional heavy rainfall which had locals dancing but the drought went on.
The trees lifespan is much longer than our own and the threat to their habitat is a gradual one and to humans the change can be barely noticable – its not like there are developers or loggers waiting on the edge of the gorge, but what is happening is a change in climate beyond that which the trees have experienced before and which seems (at present) unlikely to reverse within the lifespan of the current grove of trees.
The decline in rainfall in central NSW has much more to do with variation in the ENSO. By graphing the cumulative SOI since 1870, you find that it rose steadily from the 1920’s to 1976. Since 1976 it has been declining sharply. The trend in NSW rainfall correlates with the trend in cumulative SOI remarkably well. In recent years mean rainfall has fallen to what it was early in the 20th century. If the Wollemi Pines survived a low rainfall regime from 1890 to 1920, why can’t they now? Regarding temperature, measurements from NSW central west localities, eg. Bathurst Ag and Lithgow, show that summer daytime temperatures were as warm in the early 1900s as they have been in recent years.
Note how they have only planted 150 trees. The idea is obviously to maintain the species in a very vulnerable condition to maximise their capacity to exploit that status.
What about all the other thousands of tree seedlings that have been propagated? Evidently they don’t count as part of the species because they are in various arboretums and botanical gardens.
Here in Brisbane we had an endangered tree, Austromyrtus Gonoclada which was found only on the last operating dairy farm between the confluence of the Logan and Pacific Motorways.
Some $90,000 was set aside for a species recovery plan and a contract let to a nursery for exclusive propagation and sale of seedlings. They did this despite the fact that the seeds were the rightful property of the octogenarian farmer but the whole project was a farce.
The nursery man was loaded up with so much bullshit, he had to record every seed collected and account for failed germinations and all seedlings, and the associated costs were so high that no-one wanted to buy the seedlings.
When it was suggested that Logan City might like to incorporate the species in its parks plantings and round-a-bout vegetation they all ducked for cover. No-one bothers to collect any more seedlings and the farmer is prohibited from doing so and the net result is that the species is maintained in a threatened status.
The only significant spread of the species occurs when examples magically appear in sites proposed for development. It then becomes the pretext for depriving the landowner of his lawful rights to have his development proposal assessed on its true merrits.
Just another day in the brave new green utopia.
Not correct:
http://www.epa.qld.gov.au/publications/p01376aa.pdf/Recovery_plan_for_the_anglestemmed_myrtle_iAustromyrtus_gonoclada/i_2001__2005.pdf
It’s really sad that we might lose the wollemi pines a result of global warming. How many others will we lose in 5 years? 10 years? 100 years? Now is certainly the time for action. There is an energy bill up in congress that lobbyists are trying to remove some key provisions from. For example renewable electricity and a fuel economy standard of 35 mpg by the year 2020. I think we need all the help we can get in combating global warming and these provisions should be included. There is a petition here for anyone who feels the same. http://www.energybill2007.us
Not sure where you are coming from Pat since I followed your link.
What immediately grabbed me on the page was “Energy Drinks” linked to the usual promotional stuff from the US. The bull sees red!
Adulterated natural foods shipped in under the “energy” banner are an old target of mine. The value in milk products for instance depends on freshness and purity. The cost of water as a drink depends on how far we transport it before consuming it.
Most bottled waters are a bit of a fizz in nutritional terms.
We need to tip our baked beans, sugars, lolly waters etc back in the bush to enrich the soils.
Luke supplies an EPA document as some sort of valid evidence, yeah, right.
I have been to the Murrays property and the recovery plan is bullshit. Most of the trees are not in remnant forest but in open paddock, now fenced to make it look like they grew in forest.
The farm, and particularly the riparian zones where the species is found, has been cleared and grazed continuously since the 1880’s. My friend, Glenn Shailer, has known Mr Murray since 1937. Soil disturbance by cattle seems to have played a big part in past regeneration but the subsequent fencing has now effectively precluded that possibility in future.
Yes, there are other sites but numbers are still counted in units of tens, not thousands. I have also spoken to the nursery man who, at the time, said it was the dumbest thing he had ever been suckered into.
Perhaps you could look up the Logan City parks budget and check out the total outlay on plant purchases, check out the total area of council owned land, including road verges etc, and then work out what proportion of that outlay was spent ensuring A. Gonoclada was included in the planting list so it would no longer be endangered.
Ditto for the nest of green slime balls at Griffith Uni, just across the creek, who seem big on policy but don’t seem to have contacted their own admin to include the species in their landscaping budget.
NO don’t divert – you said the octogenerian farmer was the sole source – not so. You didn’t tell us about the park plantings either.
If the species is so robust and loves disturbance why is it so rare. Maybe it would die in roadside plantings?
Your selectively pruned story is pretty one-eyed. Yes have an inquiry into the Council and I’m not a fan of EPA either.
Maybe it would die in roadside plantings? Luke, the main cluster is just beside the Logan Motorway so why would they not survive in a suburban round-about?
They keep these species in endangered status because it is expedient to do so.
Frankly, if I knew where the Wollemi pines were I would Tordon the damned things.
We’ll just add that to dynamiting bilbies, bulldozing bora rings, smacking out DNR staff, torching Recherche Bay and buring other sundry parts of the estate.
Hope you never get divorced – the kids are goners. Don’t think these sort of comments might harden your opposition even more?
Jeez Ian. I hope you were just mouthing off.
What never ceases to amaze me is how no one gives a shit if Ian makes such a disgusting comment (or comments as per your examples), but if it were Luke or someone considered ‘green’, they’d be hung, drawn and quartered. Don’t even want to think about his gene pool on this planet – I think there is something about that on the cane toad post.