If I had to introduce myself as a botanist, hi, I'm a plant geek. I've got chlorophyll in my veins.
I'm happiest when I'm with plants and I'm happiest when I'm around people who love plants as well.
So 32 years building the science group at Kings Park was a very rewarding time.
We pushed the boundaries from everything from cryogenics of threatened species all
the way through to tissue culture and understanding better ways to restore bushland habitats.
One of the great Australian mysteries is after a Bush fire, the Australian Bush, wherever you are, turns into this wonderful field of colour with seeds germinating. And we all thought it was the heat and the ash.
It actually turned out to be the smoke and this was the discovery we made for Australia after a lead from some South African colleagues.
When we finally cracked it in that spring of 1992, we knew this was one of those amazing and very rare moments in the sciences when you can say the word Eureka and it really means something.
Australian horticulture has been changed by smoke. We now restore landscapes. We do better mine site restoration with that discovery.
We went on after that to go and discover the nature of the molecule in smoke. We named it karrikinolide from the Noongar word, our local indigenous group, karrik for smoke.
So karrikinolide has now become a molecule worked on by scientific groups around the world because it has remarkable qualities in controlling plant growth.
The biggest contribution my science has made is opening people's eyes to the diversity and the richness of what we have in this continent, but more importantly, that when we thought we knew it all, we only knew a small part.
Bridging science with action is critical. We are all very good as scientists and publishing our papers, getting our accolades from our peers, but we forget the coalface. We forget the species that are languishing. We forget the communities that want to save them.
Working now with Indigenous communities has opened my eyes to how Indigenous science and Western science fused together can really give us the next stage, which is building a restored, healthy environment where all species, human and native, can live in harmony.
Professor Kingsley Dixon from The University of Western Australia is an internationally recognised botanist whose devotion to science has transformed Australian native plant conservation.
As Foundation Director of Science at Perth’s Kings Park and Botanic Garden, Kingsley shaped a small research unit into one of the world’s top five botanic garden-based science centres. One of Kingsley’s most notable achievements is the 1992 discovery of smoke as a cause for Australian plants to germinate after bushfires.
Kingsley actively educates schools and communities across Western Australia with his engaging ‘Attenborough’ style. He also works closely with Indigenous people in Broome and the Western Desert to establish native seed programs.
Kingsley has spearheaded Western Australia’s status as an international hub for mining environmental science, where he leads projects to lift mine rehabilitation standards and community conservation practices.
Kingsley bridges research and action, advocating both scientific inquiry and environmental stewardship with a commitment to a nature positive world.
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