Council of Heads of Australian Botanic Gardens (CHABG)

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Botanic gardens are among the most frequently visited cultural institutions in Australia. They inspire the appreciation and conservation of plants. They also provide valuable space for recreation and relaxation, and are sites of considerable scientific and cultural significance.

Statement of Purpose

The Council of Heads of Australian Botanic Gardens Incorporated is a not-for-profit Association established for the purpose of supporting:

the protection, conservation and enhancement of Australian plants and their ecosystems
the provision of information and education and undertaking research about plants and plant communities,

through working with Australian botanic gardens and other institutions to achieve the following objects:

supporting and carrying out research into the diversity, conservation and [ecosystem] values of Australian plants and their communities
supporting the ex situ and in situ conservation of threatened Australian plants, including through the development and use of seed banks
promoting knowledge sharing about plants and plant communities
promoting education about plants and plant communities
providing a forum to enhance and promote the botanical, horticultural, educational and environmental work of Australian botanic gardens

Constitution

The Council of Heads of Australian Botanic Gardens Incorporated - Rules (PDF document)

Council of Heads of Australian Botanic Gardens Incorporated (CHABG)

A committee of Australia’s executive leaders in botanic gardens manages the affairs of the Council of Heads of Australian Botanic Gardens Inc.

Dale Arvidsson (Chair, CHABG Inc.)
Brisbane Botanic Gardens, Brisbane

Dale commenced as Curator at Brisbane Botanic Gardens on March 2, 2015 which saw the Brisbane Botanic Gardens Mt Coot-tha and historic City Botanic Gardens living collection management combined for the first time since the Mt Coot-tha site opened in the mid 1970s. Dale's role was again extended in October 2015 to include Sherwood Arboretum's 92-year-old collection of Australian native trees and is the first Curator of this significant collection since the late 1950s.

Previously Curator at Mackay's Regional Botanic Garden from 2006 to 2014, and President of Botanic Gardens Australia and New Zealand (BGANZ) Inc. from 2013 to 2015, Dale's diverse background also includes tourism, conservation and land management and underlying all of this – a love for horticulture, plants and gardens. Qualifications include a Bachelor of Visual Arts from James Cook University and Advanced Diploma in Conservation and Land Management.

Dale is impassioned about botanic gardens and their role in conserving and researching flora in the face of a changing climate and increasing human impacts on the environment. Education of these messages and making a difference through the work of botanic gardens and arboreta to our environment and how they are treasured by the wider community is Dale's focus for the future of Brisbane's Botanic Gardens.

Alan Barrett (Secretary, CHABG Inc.)
Botanic Gardens and Parks Authority - incorporating Kings Park, Bold Park and the Western Australian Botanic Garden

The Botanic Gardens and Parks Authority (BGPA) is a Statutory Authority that operates as part of the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions formed on 1 July 2017 to promote biodiversity and conservation to enrich people's lives through sustainable management of Western Australia's species, ecosystems, lands and the attractions in the Department's care.

Alan Barrett joined the BGPA in July 2018, coming from the Western Australian Public Sector Commission (PSC), a central WA government agency that sets human resource management standards and ethical codes and provides leadership in governance effectiveness and integrity. At the PSC, Alan held directorships in various operational areas.

Prior to that, Alan's early career involved eight years as a secondary teacher and curriculum-writer and a number of years in policy and corporate governance positions in the Western Australian culture and the arts portfolio. His work in the Arts portfolio included policy roles in the Department, Corporate Affairs Manager at the Art Gallery of WA and a Director of Policy and Planning role at the WA Museum. It was in these organisations that Alan developed a strong appreciation and interest in the art of effectively balancing research, collections management, public programs, visitor services and commercial activities in iconic values-driven public institutions.

Dr Brett Summerell (Treasurer, CHABG Inc.)
Botanic Gardens and Centennial Parklands, Sydney

Dr Brett Summerell is the Director, Research and Chief Botanist at the Botanic Gardens and Centennial Parklands, Sydney. He is also an Adjunct Professor at the University of Sydney and at Kansas State University. He has a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture (Hons 1) and a PhD from the University of Sydney.

Brett has been employed at the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney for over 27 years, initially as a plant pathologist and mycologist. Since the early 2000s he has led the science and conservation programs there, including the National Herbarium of New South Wales and the Australian PlantBank. He maintains a research interest in plant diseases and the systematics of fungi and has published over 150 refereed papers in this area.

Gary Davies (Ordinary Committee Member)
Royal Tasmanian Botanic Gardens, Hobart

Prof. Tim Entwisle (Ordinary Committee Member)
Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria

Professor Tim Entwisle is a highly respected scientist, scientific communicator and botanic gardens director. He took up the role of Director and Chief Executive of Royal Botanic Gardens in March 2013, following two years in a senior role at Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, and eight years as Executive Director of the Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust in Sydney. Tim is an Honorary Professorial Fellow in the School of Botany at The University of Melbourne and has been a Visiting Professor in the School of Biological and Biomedical Science, Durham University. He is an expert in freshwater algae (a genus, family and order of algae were named after him in 2013) but has a broad interest in all plants and related life forms (e.g. he edited and wrote for the 4-volume "Flora of Victoria"). Tim blogs, tweets, and looks for any opportunity to promote science, plants and gardens. Tim has been a regular contributor to ABC radio and its website, and a frequent guest on Australian radio and television – over summer 2014/15 he hosted ABC Radio National's first plant and gardening show, Talking Plants, which ran for a second season in 2015/16. He has written for a variety of science, nature and garden magazines and maintains an active social media profile (including his popular "Talking Plants" blog).

Bryan Harty (Ordinary Committee Member)
George Brown Darwin Botanic Gardens, Darwin

Bryan has held the position of Director of George Brown Darwin Botanic Gardens since 2013. He has qualifications in tropical horticulture and environmental science and has worked in the fields of horticultural training and indigenous natural resource management and training since the 1990s.

Dr Lucy Sutherland (Ordinary Committee Member)
Botanic Gardens of South Australia, Adelaide

Dr Lucy Sutherland is the Director of the Botanic Gardens of South Australia. She is also a Visiting Professor at the Universidad Nacional Agraria La Molina in Peru. She holds a research Masters and PhD in botanic gardens management and has integrated her academic studies in ecology and the social sciences with her practical experience in botanic gardens and protected area management, policy and practice. Lucy has published and presented papers on botanic gardens focusing on such topics as collections management, biodiversity and plant conservation, nature-based tourism, education and interpretation policy and practice.

Dr Judy West (Ordinary Committee Member)
Australian National Botanic Gardens, Canberra

Judy is the Executive Director of the Australian National Botanic Gardens. Throughout 2018 Judy held the role of Acting Director of National Parks, overseeing the management and strategic direction of Australia’s Commonwealth managed terrestrial and marine reserves. Previously, Judy was the Assistant Secretary, Parks Island and Biodiversity Science Branch where she was responsible for Parks Australia’s science, natural resource and knowledge-management activities and the management of Commonwealth island reserves, namely Christmas, Pulu Keeling and Norfolk Island National Parks.

Judy has more than 30 years experience in scientific research and policy as a research scientist in CSIRO Plant Industry and director of the Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research and the Australian National Herbarium. She holds an adjunct professorial position at the Australian National University. For her contributions to Australian plant systematics and Australia's Virtual Herbarium, she was awarded the Nancy Burbidge Memorial Medal in 2001 and an Order of Australia in 2003. Judy's scientific expertise is in plant systematics and phylogenetics, biodiversity informatics and conservation biology. Using her skills developing partnerships that link science and policy, Judy has built an active science and knowledge-management network in Parks Australia and launched the first Parks Australia Science Directions Statement in 2018.

Contact us:

The CHABG office is located at the Australian National Botanic Gardens in Canberra.

Address:

Public Officer
CHABG Inc.
GPO Box 1777
CANBERRA ACT 2601
AUSTRALIA

Phone: +61 (0) 2 6250 9500
Fax: +61 (0) 2 6250 9599
Email: chabg-sec@anbg.gov.au

CHABG Initiatives:

Australian Seed Bank Partnership
The Australian Seed Bank Partnership is an alliance of 12 organisations, bringing together expertise from Australia’s leading botanic gardens, state environment agencies and NGOs. Governed by CHABG, the Partnership is working on strategic solutions to deal with the multitude of threats facing our biodiversity.

Directory of Australian Botanic Gardens and Arboreta

NSW Regional Botanic Gardens Network

Census of Plants in Australian Botanic Gardens 1992

Survey of Botanic Gardens Usage

The National Strategy and Action Plan for the Role of Australia's Botanic Gardens in Adapting to Climate Change - 2008

Myrtle Rust - resources for Australia's botanic gardens

Partners

CHABG Inc. is a member of the Global Partnership for Plant Conservation (GPPC), which brings together international, regional and national organisations in order to contribute to the implementation of the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation (GSPC).

CHABG Inc. also works closely with Botanic Gardens Australia and New Zealand Incorporated (BGANZ). BGANZ is the chief body representing the interests of botanic gardens in Australia and New Zealand. It promotes the interests and activities of Australian and New Zealand botanic gardens and botanic gardens generally and enhances the state of botanic gardens for the benefit of the community. Individual, Institutional or Associate membership of BGANZ provides opportunities for information exchange, advocacy, development and grant opportunities and the benefits derived from national conferences and exhibitions.

Major institutions participating in CHABG

Australian National Botanic Gardens, Canberra, ACT (details) (website)

Botanic Gardens of South Australia, Adelaide, South Australia (details) (website)

George Brown Darwin Botanic Gardens, Darwin, Northern Territory (details) (website)

Kings Park and Botanic Garden, Perth, Western Australia (details) (website)

Brisbane Botanic Gardens, Mt Coot-tha, Queensland (details) (website)

Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria, Melbourne, Victoria (details) (website)

Royal Botanic Garden Sydney, New South Wales (details) (website)

Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens, Hobart, Tasmania (details) (website)

Alice Springs Desert Park, Alice Springs, Northern Territory (details) (website)

The term 'botanic gardens' is used to include those organisations known by the name 'botanic' or 'botanical' gardens.
CHABG is not an accreditation authority, and does not confer botanic gardens status upon institutions.

Updated February 18, 2020, Web Manager (anbg-info@anbg.gov.au)

Dale Arvidsson (Chair, CHABG Inc.) Brisbane Botanic Gardens, Brisbane Dale commenced as Curator at Brisbane Botanic Gardens on March 2, 2015 which saw the Brisbane Botanic Gardens Mt Coot-tha and historic City Botanic Gardens living collection management combined for the first time since the Mt Coot-tha site opened in the mid 1970s. Dale's role was again extended in October 2015 to include Sherwood Arboretum's 92-year-old collection of Australian native trees and is the first Curator of this significant collection since the late 1950s. Previously Curator at Mackay's Regional Botanic Garden from 2006 to 2014, and President of Botanic Gardens Australia and New Zealand (BGANZ) Inc. from 2013 to 2015, Dale's diverse background also includes tourism, conservation and land management and underlying all of this – a love for horticulture, plants and gardens. Qualifications include a Bachelor of Visual Arts from James Cook University and Advanced Diploma in Conservation and Land Management. Dale is impassioned about botanic gardens and their role in conserving and researching flora in the face of a changing climate and increasing human impacts on the environment. Education of these messages and making a difference through the work of botanic gardens and arboreta to our environment and how they are treasured by the wider community is Dale's focus for the future of Brisbane's Botanic Gardens.
Alan Barrett (Secretary, CHABG Inc.) Botanic Gardens and Parks Authority - incorporating Kings Park, Bold Park and the Western Australian Botanic Garden The Botanic Gardens and Parks Authority (BGPA) is a Statutory Authority that operates as part of the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions formed on 1 July 2017 to promote biodiversity and conservation to enrich people's lives through sustainable management of Western Australia's species, ecosystems, lands and the attractions in the Department's care. Alan Barrett joined the BGPA in July 2018, coming from the Western Australian Public Sector Commission (PSC), a central WA government agency that sets human resource management standards and ethical codes and provides leadership in governance effectiveness and integrity. At the PSC, Alan held directorships in various operational areas. Prior to that, Alan's early career involved eight years as a secondary teacher and curriculum-writer and a number of years in policy and corporate governance positions in the Western Australian culture and the arts portfolio. His work in the Arts portfolio included policy roles in the Department, Corporate Affairs Manager at the Art Gallery of WA and a Director of Policy and Planning role at the WA Museum. It was in these organisations that Alan developed a strong appreciation and interest in the art of effectively balancing research, collections management, public programs, visitor services and commercial activities in iconic values-driven public institutions.
Dr Brett Summerell (Treasurer, CHABG Inc.) Botanic Gardens and Centennial Parklands, Sydney Dr Brett Summerell is the Director, Research and Chief Botanist at the Botanic Gardens and Centennial Parklands, Sydney. He is also an Adjunct Professor at the University of Sydney and at Kansas State University. He has a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture (Hons 1) and a PhD from the University of Sydney. Brett has been employed at the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney for over 27 years, initially as a plant pathologist and mycologist. Since the early 2000s he has led the science and conservation programs there, including the National Herbarium of New South Wales and the Australian PlantBank. He maintains a research interest in plant diseases and the systematics of fungi and has published over 150 refereed papers in this area.
Gary Davies (Ordinary Committee Member) Royal Tasmanian Botanic Gardens, Hobart
Prof. Tim Entwisle (Ordinary Committee Member) Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria Professor Tim Entwisle is a highly respected scientist, scientific communicator and botanic gardens director. He took up the role of Director and Chief Executive of Royal Botanic Gardens in March 2013, following two years in a senior role at Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, and eight years as Executive Director of the Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust in Sydney. Tim is an Honorary Professorial Fellow in the School of Botany at The University of Melbourne and has been a Visiting Professor in the School of Biological and Biomedical Science, Durham University. He is an expert in freshwater algae (a genus, family and order of algae were named after him in 2013) but has a broad interest in all plants and related life forms (e.g. he edited and wrote for the 4-volume "Flora of Victoria"). Tim blogs, tweets, and looks for any opportunity to promote science, plants and gardens. Tim has been a regular contributor to ABC radio and its website, and a frequent guest on Australian radio and television – over summer 2014/15 he hosted ABC Radio National's first plant and gardening show, Talking Plants, which ran for a second season in 2015/16. He has written for a variety of science, nature and garden magazines and maintains an active social media profile (including his popular "Talking Plants" blog).
Bryan Harty (Ordinary Committee Member) George Brown Darwin Botanic Gardens, Darwin Bryan has held the position of Director of George Brown Darwin Botanic Gardens since 2013. He has qualifications in tropical horticulture and environmental science and has worked in the fields of horticultural training and indigenous natural resource management and training since the 1990s.
Dr Lucy Sutherland (Ordinary Committee Member) Botanic Gardens of South Australia, Adelaide Dr Lucy Sutherland is the Director of the Botanic Gardens of South Australia. She is also a Visiting Professor at the Universidad Nacional Agraria La Molina in Peru. She holds a research Masters and PhD in botanic gardens management and has integrated her academic studies in ecology and the social sciences with her practical experience in botanic gardens and protected area management, policy and practice. Lucy has published and presented papers on botanic gardens focusing on such topics as collections management, biodiversity and plant conservation, nature-based tourism, education and interpretation policy and practice.
Dr Judy West (Ordinary Committee Member) Australian National Botanic Gardens, Canberra Judy is the Executive Director of the Australian National Botanic Gardens. Throughout 2018 Judy held the role of Acting Director of National Parks, overseeing the management and strategic direction of Australia’s Commonwealth managed terrestrial and marine reserves. Previously, Judy was the Assistant Secretary, Parks Island and Biodiversity Science Branch where she was responsible for Parks Australia’s science, natural resource and knowledge-management activities and the management of Commonwealth island reserves, namely Christmas, Pulu Keeling and Norfolk Island National Parks. Judy has more than 30 years experience in scientific research and policy as a research scientist in CSIRO Plant Industry and director of the Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research and the Australian National Herbarium. She holds an adjunct professorial position at the Australian National University. For her contributions to Australian plant systematics and Australia's Virtual Herbarium, she was awarded the Nancy Burbidge Memorial Medal in 2001 and an Order of Australia in 2003. Judy's scientific expertise is in plant systematics and phylogenetics, biodiversity informatics and conservation biology. Using her skills developing partnerships that link science and policy, Judy has built an active science and knowledge-management network in Parks Australia and launched the first Parks Australia Science Directions Statement in 2018.