The National Research Collections Australia

The National Research Collections Australia are globally relevant collections of more than 15 million biodiversity specimens, from plants, wildlife and insects to fishes, fungi and algae.

In the past, biodiversity collections were used mainly to classify species and understand their evolutionary relationships. Today, our collections provide national reference specimens and data to benchmark Australia's biodiversity. 

Need to know whether an insect in a shipment of cars is a biosecurity pest? Our insect collection supports rapid identifications. Want to protect orchids in your local area? We're assessing threatened species and adding them to the IUCN Red List. Worried whether animals will adapt to climate change? We're looking at the DNA of decades-old specimens to find out how species respond to environmental change. Fascinated by unknown animals in the deep sea? Our expeditions on board research vessel Investigator discover new-to-science species. Saddened by species loss? Our biobank and population genetics is driving genetic rescue of Giant Kelp in Tasmania's seas.

Our biodiversity collections are national research infrastructure and a vital resource for conservation and science.

The Australian National Herbarium in Canberra and the Australian Tropical Herbarium in Cairns together hold more than1.5 million plant specimens. The collections provides crucial information on Australia's native flora, which is used to understand plant biodiversity, conserve threatened species, manage weeds, and ensure biocontrol insects won't harm native plants.

Our current research focusses on:

• Orchidaceae (orchids)
• Asteraceae (daisies)
• Santalaceae (sandalwoods)
• hornworts and liverworts
• lichens.

We loan specimens to researchers at botanical research institutions in Australia and around the world. Images of our digitised plant specimens are freely available online.

The Australian Tree Seed Centre is a living collection of of Australian native tree seed.

For more than 50 years the centre has been collecting, researching and supplying quality, fully documented tree seed to customers in Australia and overseas for conservation and forestry. We source seed from wild populations and from our seed orchards, where we grow trees and genetically improve the seed.

The Australian National Insect Collection in Canberra houses over 12 million specimens of insects and related terrestrial invertebrates, including nematodes, mites, spiders, earthworms, scorpions and centipedes. It is the world’s largest collection of Australian insects.

ANIC is the nation’s hard drive of insect biodiversity, an authoritative physical reference point for identifying known species and species that are new-to-science.

Our research informs biodiversity, biosecurity and conservation, and we run workshops on insect and nematode identification for government departments.

The Australian National Wildlife Collection specialises in terrestrial vertebrates.

It holds specimens of 823 species of Australian birds as well as mammals, reptiles and amphibians, birds from New Guinea, more than 100,000 recordings of wildlife sounds, more than 30,000 tissue samples, and eggs of most Australian birds.

Research at the collection focuses on deepening our genetic understanding of Australia's birds, and developing new techniques for working with DNA from decades-old specimens, including historical virus surveillance.

Specialising in marine fishes, the ANFC in Hobart began informally in 1943 and now contains more than 160,000 fish specimens representing 3,700 species from the Indo-Pacific region, along with images and radiographs (X-rays).

The collection's major strengths are sharks, rays and deepwater fishes. It is an invaluable resource for biodiversity and biogeographic research on Australian and Indo-Pacific fishes, supporting conservation and fisheries management.

The algae collection is a living collection of more than 1000 strains of algae, 100 species of seaweeds, and a biobank of Giant Kelp, housed at a purpose-built facility in Hobart, Tasmania.

The collection is an internationally significant biological resource. We supply algae cultures to industry and researchers around the world.

We research algae biodiversity, environmental issues and bio-applications of algae, and we are working with partners to restore Tasmania’s Giant Kelp forests.