Beyond Myrtle Rust: Unprecedented extinction of tree species by fungal disease

The plant disease myrtle rust was first recorded in Australia in New South Wales in 2010. By 2012, it had reached the northern tropics and it has now been detected on 358 native Australian species. There is an urgent need to quantify the risk this disease poses to native flora and to implement management strategies. Rod Fensham and colleagues have developed a novel system to assess myrtle rust severity, applicable across all species of Australian rainforest Myrtaceae.

Join us to hear Rod talk about his assessment of myrtle rust symptoms on 145 species at 936 locations across eastern Australia. His results predict the imminent extinction of 16 rainforest tree species in the wild within a generation. A further 20 species may be at risk, but further monitoring is required to determine their fate. Rod will also talk about strategies for in-situ and ex-situ rescue that could help avoid total extinction.