Conservation not for conservatives?

I received an irate letter from one of our members this month debating the
issue of climate change.

I’m sure that what caused great offence was my linking of the words ‘slow learner or slow adapter’ to the now-strident denial of climate change by some as being caused by humans – us! Without going into the merits of whether climate change is real or a conspiracy, it is clear that the conservative view is by its very definition ‘adverse to rapid change.’ Source: Macquarie Dictionary.

Conservative and conservation come from the same Latin root. Climate change threatens our ecology and as a conservationist I wish to preserve it from industrial pollution.

At Diggers, we have a lot of sympathy for the concept of conservation. Penny and I are passionate conservationists: we have championed the preservation of heirloom vegetables, cottage flowers and fruits, and also the preservation of the historic buildings at Heronswood and St Erth. We gifted these properties to the Diggers Garden Trust so that not only the buildings, but also historic gardening traditions are preserved.

‘New’ from my experience, is rarely an improvement when it comes to bedding plants replacing traditional heirlooms. So Diggers is a conservator of plants and their environments.

However, climate change has been threatening our planet so much faster than has been forecast, that a ‘conservative slow adapter mindset’ will prevent the action we need to dramatically change our behaviour. Darwin delayed the publication of his On the Origin of Species for 20 years for fear of the conservative reaction to his ideas.

Evolution is about adaption to change. Fast-adapting species survive and slow-learning species become extinct! Not much has changed in 150 years because the ‘conservative slow adapters’ still refuse to accept Darwin’s basic tenet that humans are part of nature and not superior to it.

Gardeners that experience rising temperatures and prolonged droughts have already caused a transformation in garden styles and the suitability of plants; good gardeners are adapting to the changes already!

Even a 2°C average temperature rise that is forecast will have a profound impact on the survivability of plants and gardens. The average temperature of our capital cities are really low:

• Hobart 9-12°
• Melbourne/Canberra 12-15°C
• Sydney/Adelaide 15-18°C
• Brisbane/Perth 18-21°C

but within that average range, 5-7°C daily fluctuations are occurring already.

Victorians have now experienced 48°C summer temperatures 20-30 years earlier than expected, so we know how hot it can get.

A temperature rise of just 2°C by 2050 will cause Hobart to resemble Melbourne’s climate, Melbourne to enjoy the warmth of Sydney’s climate, and Sydney to approximate that of Brisbane or Perth. Many of the trees and shrubs we now grow will not survive this temperature increase. For the vegetable gardener sowing annual crops, the news is good; it means that all of our growing seasons will increase by up to 60 days. This will improve our ability to grow more fruit and vegetables than ever before, provided we have water! Instead of waiting until Melbourne Cup Day to plant tomatoes and corn in Melbourne, the planting date will advance to September and provide a 210 day growing season rather than 150 days.

In Melbourne, we will be able to fruit bananas and paw paws but unable to fruit apples and pears. Sydney gardeners may be able to grow coconuts and mangoes, whilst Hobart gardeners will have success with citrus
and avocados. Gardening in a time of climate change will require massive planting changes, not all of which will be bad!

(2018)