The International Year of Plant Health for 2020 was launched globally by the Food and Agriculture Organisation in Rome on 2 December 2019. The year is a great opportunity to highlight the role everyone plays in protecting our plants from the threat of pests and diseases.

Australia is lucky to be free from many serious plant pests due to our quarantine measures and our geographic isolation. However, there is a growing threat of pests and diseases as a result of increases in international travel and imported goods.

Everyone is part of the plant health picture; and everyone can help protect plants from pests and diseases. Find out how you can help and information about the International Year of Plant Health in Australia at  http://planthealthyear.org.au/

You can upload stories about people making a difference in plant health, add events with a plant health theme and enter a global photo competition.

In a recent article in The Gardens magazine, the Royal Botanic Gardens Chief Botanist Dr Brett Summerell, also a member of the Botanic Gardens Biosecurity Network, gave his view of the importance of plant health. More information on this article can be found here.