Wild Macadamia Hunt Program
Brisbane residents and Queenslanders hunted through their backyards and local reserves for wild macadamia trees as part of a project to conserve the Australian super nut.
Locating and registering wild macadamia trees in Brisbane and Queensland for genetic analysis, aiding in conservation efforts for the species.
An engaging citizen science project has helped locate and register wild macadamia trees, which were then genetically analysed to help in the conservation of this important native species.
Australia has an abundance of cultivated macadamia trees, but their wild native relatives are under threat. It is estimated that some 80% of all wild macadamia habitat has been lost since European settlement.
This inspired a fun project which had community members jumping in to help. The Brisbane City Council funded the initial hunt around Brisbane and surrounds. It was so well-received that the Queensland Government Department of Environment and Science funded the program to be extended Queensland-wide.
What did the hunt look like
The project was a fun way of locating wild macadamia trees in Brisbane.
Enthusiastic members of the community got on board in droves.
They were looking for wild macadamia trees that were at least 100 years old.
When they found one, they notified us of the species they found and mapped it on a handy online app. They then sent in a leaf sample for analysis.
This gave us a wealth of information to add to our mapping and monitoring of this important species.
Samples sent in as part of the program were compiled and the leaves genetically analysed.At the end of the project the results were then presented to the community and individual contributors.
Hunting down native macadamia
The hunt targeted wild macadamias planted over a century ago, before commercial farming and the introduction of exotic trees reduced genetic diversity in Australia’s macadamia trees.
These older trees are typically found in natural rainforest habitats or areas formerly covered by rainforest, as well as those planted by indigenous communities or early settlers in various locations like backyards, acreage blocks, pastoral properties, old orchards, or local parks.
What we did
The project focused on a number of outcomes:
- Habitat restoration.
- Surveys and long-term monitoring.
- Habitat mapping.
- Propagation workshop.
- Supporting genetic research.
- Community education and awareness.
- It added to Healthy Land & Water’s broader efforts since 2006 to find and conserve wild macadamias and their habitats.
Understanding macadamia genetics to inform conservation priorities and the commercial potential of wild macadamias.
Measuring success
The results helped us map the distribution of wild macadamia trees as well as improve our understanding of macadamia genetics.
It helped inform conservation priorities and the commercial potential of wild macadamias.
The citizen science angle also inspired community education and awareness of biodiversity through workshops and useful informative online material.
Why this project is important
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Long before European arrival, Aboriginal Peoples used macadamias as a food source, harvesting nuts from the rainforests of southern Queensland and northern New South Wales for consumption and for trading up and down the east coast of Australia. Nutshells have been found in aboriginal middens near Brisbane. Some Aboriginal names for the nuts are Kindal Kindal, Baupal, Gyndl, Jindilli and Boombera. The delicious macadamia nut is native to Australia. Unfortunately, although cultivated macadamia trees are abundant in Australia, their wild relatives are under threat. Habitat destruction and fragmentation, weeds and fire have caused the loss of many wild populations of macadamia, with nearly 80% of all macadamia habitat lost since European settlement. These threats are ongoing and are likely to being exacerbated by climate change. Remnant wild macadamia trees and populations also struggle with poor recruitment due to lack of pollination and nut predation, competition and smothering by weeds and weakened genetics due to cross-pollination with cultivated macadamias. The impact of these threats has led to the protection of wild macadamia trees under the Queensland Nature Conservation Act 1992 and Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. Historically, concerns for macadamias began in the late 1800s with Walter Hill, leading to many people planting them in their backyards. However, organised efforts to conserve macadamias didn't start until 1988 by the Australian Macadamia Society (AMS). In the early 1900s, the Australian macadamia industry grew, leading to the distribution of many seedlings. These seedlings, though from wild parents, lacked genetic diversity because they were collected from only a few trees. Additionally, from around 1960, imported trees from Hawaii replaced Australian ones, further reducing genetic diversity. Since then, the AMS formed the Macadamia Conservation Trust and developed a Recovery Plan for the four Australian native species to address this issue. The Trust continues to support research and actions to conserve wild trees and populations. Wild and cultivated macadamia trees are currently found in South East Queensland, northern New South Wales, and other parts of Australia. |
Project snapshot
| Project name: | Wild Macadamia Hunt |
| Project manager: | Suzie Moore, Healthy Land & Water |
| Catchment: | South East Queensland |
| Timing: | 2018 – 2022 |
| Partnerships: | This project was funded by Queensland Department of Environment and Science, Brisbane City Council and the Queensland Government’s Queensland Citizen Science Grants. Delivered with support from Macadamia Conservation Trust, Southern Cross University, Hort Innovation, Australian Macadamia Society, Researchers, the macadamia industry, local councils, community groups and landholders |
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Project collaborators
This project was funded by the Queensland Government Department of Environment and Science, Brisbane City Council and the Queensland Government’s Queensland Citizen Science Grants. Delivered with support from Macadamia Conservation Trust, Southern Cross University, Hort Innovation, Australian Macadamia Society, Researchers, the macadamia industry, local councils, community groups and landholders.
Useful resources
How can you help conserve wild macadamia trees?
- Protect wild macadamias from weeds, fire and livestock.
- Eat only Australian grown macadamias.
- If macadamia conservation is your thing, you can always visit the Macadamia Conservation Trust for more information.
For further information:
- Costello, G., Gregory, M. and Donatiu, P. (2009). Southern Macadamia Species Recovery Plan. Report to Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, Canberra by Horticulture Australia Limited, Sydney. Available here.
- Hardner, C., Nock, C., Batley, J., Termizi, A.A.A., Peace, C., Hayashi, S., Montenegro, J.D. and Edwards, D. (2016). Backyard macadamias in Brisbane as a reservoir of genetic diversity for breeding. Available here.
- Hort Innovation (2017). Macadamia, Strategic Investment Plan, Hort Innovation. Available here.
- McConachie, I. (2012). The Macadamia Story. Australian Macadamia Society, Lismore, NSW. Available here.
Factoids
What is a wild macadamia?
A wild macadamia is one of the following four types (species), either in pure form or a cross (hybrid) between two species:
- Queensland Nut (Macadamia integrifolia)
- Rough-shelled Bush Nut (Macadamia tetraphylla)
- Gympie Nut (Macadamia ternifolia)
- Bulberin Nut (Macadamia jansenii)
Wild trees are not cultivars or varieties, such as you might find in the fruit tree section of your local nursery. It can be difficult to tell a cultivar from a wild tree by its looks, so we’re using age as the key distinguisher.
We didn’t go looking for Bulberin Nut (Macadamia jansenii) because this macadamia is endangered and only found in a small area of central Queensland. Visiting the area could lead to the species becoming more threatened than it already is.
Macadamia trees that are around 100 years old are likely to be wild trees. These old trees may be found growing naturally in rainforest scrubs or areas that once were rainforest or could also be trees planted many years ago – by indigenous people or early settlers – in your backyard, acreage block, pastoral property, old orchard or local park.