Queensland's Center for Native Floriculture

The Center for Native Floriculture (CNF) is a joint initiative of The University of Queensland and the Queensland State Government. The Center's activities build upon past contributions by University staff and students in research, development and extension in native floriculture. Activities focus on Queensland's diverse and extensive native flora and their use in the cut-flower and foliage, flowering and foliage pot plant, bedding plant, and, home garden and landscape industry sectors. The gradual phase-out of bush-picking under the South East Queensland Regional Forests Agreement was a catalyst for the Center's establishment. The CNF vision is 'to help create an internationally competitive and environmentally sustainable native floriculture industry that provides significant employment opportunities in Queensland'. The Center recognizes the value of 'conservation through cultivation'. In support of Queensland's 'Smart State' agenda, the CNF aims to deliver a mix of public (e.g. employment opportunities) and private (e.g. revenue streams) good outcomes. The Center is composed of three integrated Programs. The Value Chain Program assists native floriculture industry groups in developing efficient consumer-orientated production, handling and marketing systems for novel high economic potential species. These value chains serve as models for further realizing the market potential of, and fiscal returns on, yet other native ornamental species identified (e.g. through market research) as being desired by end-users (e.g. florists). The Floriculture Program supports the industry and the Value Chain Program by research and development to enhance germplasm available to the industry (viz. through exploration, selection and breeding), to optimize cultivation protocols, and, to overcome any technical barriers that arise. Technical barriers typically include propagation constraints, disease problems and post-harvest quality limitations. The Capacity Building Program works to develop and maintain infrastructure (e.g. research nursery facilities) in general support of CNF activities and to extend both technology and skills (e.g. plant propagation) to industry members