Botanists study all types of plants - anything from the smallest algae to the gigantic Tingle trees growing in the South West of our State.

There are approximately 100 people in Western Australia classified as botanists, although many more have related job titles such as environmental scientist. Around 60% are male. Over 85% work in the Perth metropolitan region, with remaining few mostly in the Great Southern and Midwest regions.

It's a competitive field, with lots of people in training. In 2004, approximately 360 people commenced a degree majoring in botany or biological sciences.

Plants underpin all life on earth. Botanists study terrestrial plants and those growing in freshwater and the ocean. By studying the way plants function, their habitats and their history, botanists can understand environmental and ecological issues, improve crop production and identify plant chemicals that are valuable medicines or food additives.

Botanists may specialise in a range of areas, including plant genetics, conservation biology, limnology (the study of freshwater plants), mycology (the study of fungi) or taxonomy (classification of plants and their relationships). Some botanists, called palynologists, even study preserved pollen grains found in sediment in order to learn about ancient climates and landscapes.


Preserving Our Natural Heritage

''As a botanist in Western Australia, you have the ability to influence the conservation of the most incredible flora in the world,'' says Dr Neville Marchant, former Director of the Western Australian Herbarium.

Some botanists work in the field collecting specimens and data in order to help preserve and manage our natural resources. They collect pressed plant specimens and identify them by either consulting a taxonomist, visiting a herbarium (like a plant library) or using electronic information systems (plant databases). Once the plants are identified, the botanists can ascertain factors such as whether the specimens are endangered and what are the likely economic and environmental outcomes of development in the region.

''At the State Herbarium we have half a million specimens unique to Western Australia. Each specimen is identified, classified, and catalogued on a specimen database. Part of the herbarium's role is to make sure that any exploitation of flora is sustainable,'' says Dr Marchant.

Some botanists are involved in field and glasshouse studies of plant diseases, or plant reproduction and breeding of native plants, or those important in agriculture, horticulture and forestry. Others work on problems associated with how plants function, how they take up water, store carbon, ward off pests and diseases, even down to the level of what happens in the cells and how genes control the cell biochemistry.


Twenty First Century Botanist

Improvements in technology are increasing in all areas of botany, from Global Positioning Systems and satellite imagery that allows accuracy in field work, to techniques that allow study of which molecules pass through the smallest of holes in a cell membrane. Genetic engineering means that botanists can grow entire plants from a single cell using plant tissue culture, and transfer 'desirable' genes from one plant into another. Improved crop yields, disease resistant plants and the preservation of an endangered species are all wonderful outcomes of these new technologies.

Being familiar with the new tools and techniques is essential. Botanists may work with electron microscopes, radioisotopes, digital imaging analysis, polymerise chain reaction (rapid in vitro duplication of DNA segments), cell and tissue cultures, satellite imaging and telemetry. Familiarity with electronic databases is also important as botanists need to be able to access plant identification records efficiently and accurately.


Depending on their area of specialisation, botanists can work in a diverse range of work environments and most involve a combination of field, glasshouse and laboratory work. Plant ecologists work outside collecting and identifying terrestrial or aquatic plants and may travel to many different locations. Their work may be aimed at conservation, or predicting the effects of climate change or pollution. Botanists interested in plant physiology work in the field or laboratory and may study how plants survive and grow in the extremes of the Australian climate and in our low nutrient soils.


Careers In Botany

With the increase in environmental awareness, opportunities are opening in the areas of the rehabilitation and the management of parks and forests, and in ecotourism.

In the past 15 years there has been a huge rise in the employment of environmental officers or scientists involved in anything from the rehabilitation of gravel pits to the management of rural salinity problems. Even a road verge that needs to be widened has to be managed by someone with botany skills! For example, factors such as the removal of native plants, and the subsequent increased growth of weeds, could prove to be a great fire risk.

Bioprospecting is another area where there are increasing employment options. Pharmaceutical companies are collaborating with botanists, to find cures for diseases, using chemical properties derived from Western Australian flora.


The majority of botanists are employed by government agencies such as the Department of Environment and Conservation and the Department of Agriculture and Food. They are also employed by private companies, and environmental consultancy firms that are frequently engaged by mining companies to undertake environmental impact assessments. There are also positions in research within universities and with the CSIRO.


A recent honours graduate working as a research assistant can expect to earn about $35,000 per year, with those botanists holding a PhD earning in the vicinity of $80,000 after many years of experience when they move on to managerial positions. For more information regarding salaries, you could contact an employer of botanists such as the WA Herbarium.

To become a botanist you need to complete an undergraduate degree in science, with a major in botany or plant sciences. Those students with an honours degree, or further postgraduate qualifications, can look forward to a wider variety of career options, and greater remuneration.

Curtin University offers a three-year Bachelor of Science (Environmental Biology).

Edith Cowan University offers a three-year Bachelor of Science (Biological Science) and Bachelor of Science (Environmental Science).

Murdoch University offers a three-year Bachelor of Science (Biological Sciences).

The University of Notre Dame Australia offers a three-year Bachelor of Environmental Studies, while the University of Western Australia offers a three-year Bachelor of Science (Environmental Science or Conservation Biology).

Prerequisites generally include an adequate TER in mathematics, chemistry and/or physics. For further information, please contact the individual institution or refer to the website below.

All Universities offer postgraduate programs.

	Universities
	Homepage links and contact details for all Universities in WA.

WA Herbarium
Locked Bag 104 Bentley Delivery Centre WA 6983 Ph: (08) 9334 0500 Fax: (08) 9334 0515 Email: herbarium@calm.wa.gov.au

Kings Park and Botanic Gardens Science Directorate
Fraser Avenue West Perth WA 6005 Ph: (08) 9480 3600 Email: enquiries@bgpa.wa.gov.au URL: http://www.bgpa.wa.gov.au

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According to botanist Emerita Professor Jen McComb, it's important to dispel the myth that botany is a conservative, old fashioned science.

''When people hear the word 'botanist' they think of scientists in herbariums dusting off dried plants. It couldn't be further from the truth. Today herbaria have been transformed into dynamic institutions that underpin conservation efforts, and botanists use the full array of techniques for plant physiology, biochemistry, ecology, pathology, molecular biology and genetic engineering.''

The best thing about being a botanist, according to Jen, is that there is a real potential to make exciting discoveries, especially in Western Australia.

''In Western Australia we're sitting in one of the world's hotspot for biodiversity. The plants here are very different from other parts of the world and there is still so much that is unknown.''

After studying science at university, Jen decided to pursue a career in plants rather than zoology, because of her fascination with plant genetics and reproduction systems.

''Plants are easier to work with and study than animals. Plants don't yell or bite when you touch them and they're not expensive to keep. They're also there the next day when you go back to a site. There are also less moral and ethical problems in doing experiments with plants than with animals.''

Her interest in the environment has led into the latest research - producing trees that will help with our rural salinity problems. Many salt resistant species that have been planted aren't economically viable for farmers, and this is where the biotechnological techniques come into play.

''The work involves crossing two species of eucalypt - the river red gum and the blue gum - to produce a hybrid which is salt resistant and can be used commercially by farmers for paper pulp or timber. It's an exciting project using laboratory testing, field trials and glass house trials.''

As a lecturer at Murdoch University, it is one of Professor McComb's tasks to teach environmental and conservation issues, albeit in a pragmatic fashion.

''As a botanist you need to have an interest in plants and the many environment and conservation issues. We teach the solid science that is applied to conservation. Unfortunately, today a lot of the environmental decisions being made aren't necessarily based on science, but on politics or economics.''