As concerns about climate change grow, a group of young scientists at the 2024 Festival of Bright Ideas (FOBI) aimed to ease fears by showcasing the resilience of plants.
At the Plant Detectives stall, researchers from the ARC Centre of Excellence for Plant Success demonstrated how plants have evolved to withstand extreme environments, underscoring that while conditions are changing, many plants are equipped to survive.
"We know climate change is a big concern, especially for young people," said Emma Horswill, Outreach Officer at the University of Tasmania's ARC Centre of Excellence for Plant Success in Nature and Agriculture.
"The take-home message is that plants are robust and have been evolving to cope with Earth's environmental challenges for millions of years—they're not going to stop now."
The interactive stall, which attracted thousands of visitors to Hobart's waterfront on August 16-17, provided hands-on experiences to explore plant traits and adaptations.
"It was a fantastic event with strong attendance from participating school students and the public," Ms Horswill said. "We had 29 schools on Friday and over 2,900 visitors on Saturday."
A key attraction was the Foldscope microscope, an innovative and portable paper microscope that allowed visitors to examine plant structures up close.
"The microscopes let people examine the tiny adaptions and traits inside plants that can be much harder to understand unless you can see them!" Ms Horswill explained.
Visitors were especially intrigued by mangrove roots, which have evolved air channels known as aerenchyma to transport oxygen in waterlogged conditions—a vital adaptation for surviving floods and rising sea levels.
The stall also featured live plants with characteristics to explore like waxy leaves and salt-exuding pores, and a 'climate puzzle' that challenged participants to match plants with their optimal environments.
"This year, we wanted to highlight how specific plant traits help species cope with the extreme weather conditions we're seeing more frequently due to climate change," Ms Horswill said.
The high engagement at this year's Festival underscored the community's interest in plant science and environmental issues.
"The hunger for science is alive in our Tassie community, and it's so great to share our love of plants with them," Ms Horswill said.
The Festival of Bright Ideas was part of National Science Week and supported with grant funding from the Australian Government.
