Since 1998, the annual SA Environment Awards celebrate South Australians, who give their time, expertise and passion on behalf of our precious natural environment. The award is Presented by Conservation Council SA in partnership with Green Adelaide, the Department for Environment and Water and the University of Adelaide’s Environment Institute.

Among this year’s recipients was Pam Catcheside, Hon. Research Associate of the State Herbarium of South Australia, who received a Lifetime Award for her work in mycology. Pam is well-known throughout Australia for her enthusiasm about fungi and her scientific contributions. Over the past 20 years she has made almost 5,000 collections, described three new species, one new genus, Antrelloides P.S.Catches. & D.E.A.Catches. (Swainsona 31: 82, 2018, 4.8mb PDF) and wrote papers on rare or interesting species. We all congratulate Pam for this great achievement!

Enid Robertson (1925-2016) received a posthumous Lifetime Award for her work in conservation. She was systematic botanist at the Waite Research Institute of The University of Adelaide, who was engaged to revise and edit the second edition of Part 4 of J.M. Black‘s Flora of South Australia (1957). Enid later worked with Prof. Bryan Womersley at the University’s Botany Department, work that was acknowledged with a seagrass being named after her, Posidonia robertsoniae, recognising her contribution to our knowledge of the Australian marine flora by Kuo and Cambridge in 1984. Her research focused on Asteraceae, Danthonia and seagrasses. Enid was remembered in a previous “Know Our Plants” blog post. The grass Rytidosperma robertsoniae Tiver (Swainsona 33: 36, 2020, 1.3mb PDF) was named after her.

A list of all 2023 award recipients, with more information about their achievements and short videos about the recipients, is available on the SA Environment Award website.