Case study: Australian Arid Lands Botanic Garden: research–community partnership


Plant ecologist Andy Leigh, who investigates how Australian plants respond to extreme temperature stress, established a collaborative research agreement with the Australian Arid Lands Botanic Garden (Port Augusta, South Australia), via the Port Augusta City Council. The Council provided a small amount of funding each year for six years. The AALBG staff and the Garden’s Friends gave on-ground support to grow experimental plants. This included bulldozing and setting up an experimental garden bed on site, and giving plants different amounts of water, so that Leigh’s team could measure the combined effects of drought and heat stress of plants in situ.

https://www.portaugusta.sa.gov.au/attractions/parks-and-gardens/australian-arid-lands-botanic-garden