Flowers of Eucalyptus yalatensis, a species growing on calcareous soils, which was first described from specimens from the Yalata area. Photo: T. Hammer.

A team of four botanists from the State Herbarium of South Australia just returned from the Bush Blitz Expedition to Yalata Indigenous Protected Area (IPA), Wahgunyah & Fowlers Bay Conservation Parks in the Far West of the State. For two weeks, from 22 Nov. to 3 Dec. 2021, Peter Lang, Tim Hammer, Jürgen Kellermann and Tracey Spokes explored the area, surveyed the vegetation and collected new specimens for the State Herbarium collection.

Some of the Bush Blitz participants, including State Herbarium botanists, with the local support team and Aboriginal Rangers on the last day before leaving Fowlers Bay. Photo: Bush Blitz (Facebook).

We are extremely grateful to the Far West Coast people, including the Kokatha, Mirning, Wirangu, Yalata, and Maralinga Tjarutja (Oak Valley) Peoples and the descendants of Edward Roberts, the Traditional Owners of the land, for allowing us access and permitting us to collect plants.

Limestone cliff vegetation at the Nullarbor, near Head of Bight, Yalata IPA, surveyed by the State Herbarium team during the Bush Blitz expedition. Photo: T. Hammer.

Bush Blitz is an innovative partnership between the Australian Government, BHP Billiton Sustainable Communities and Earthwatch Australia. It is the world’s first continent-scale biodiversity survey, providing the knowledge needed to help us protect Australia’s unique animals and plants for generations to come.