Threatened plant translocation case study: 'Banksia brownii' (Feather leaved Banksia), Proteaceae

The Species ¢ Long-lived non-lignotuberous shrub or small tree.-Endemic to Western Australia.-18 extant (Surviving; in existence) natural populations, 10 with less than 100 plants, which occur over a 90 km range around Albany (to the north and east).¢ Three biogeographically and genetically distinct population groups have been identified and are considered to be separate conservation units for management and recovery.Threatening Processes « Phytophthora dieback.¢ Inappropriate fire regimes (i.e., too frequent fire and lack of fire). Deciding to translocateBanksia brownii is highly susceptible to the introduced soil-borne pathogen Phytophthora cinnamomi, which is considered to be the greatest threat to this species' ongoing persistence (Shearer et al. 2013).Of 30 known populations, 12 are now presumed extinct due to Phytophthora dieback, 10 have less than 100 plants; of these, eight have less than 10 mature plants remaining with the decline in numbers largely due to Phytophthora dieback.Genetic diversity studies based on material from extinct (ex situ seed collections) and extant populations indicate that some 38% of total genetic diversity, based on contributions of within population variation and differentiation, has been lost from B. brownii due to Phytophthora dieback (Coates et al. 2015).