The Cliffhanging 5
Five very special plant species are clinging to existence around cliffs of the Upper Blue Mountains. This video introduces you to their stories and what you can do to help them survive.
The cliffs of the Upper Blue Mountains are a rugged place and not an easy spot to grow if you're a plant. But there are a few very special plants which find the conditions just right for them. They are all very rare, clinging onto existence in highly specialised niches and found nowhere else in the world. One species has only 60 individual known plants left.
Scientists from the Office of Environment and Heritage Saving our Species program have found the main threats to the plants' survival are people trampling the plants or picking their flowers while rock climbing, bushwalking or abseiling.
A series of short videos has been made to share the stories behind each of the 5 plants, introducing them to the rock climbers and bushwalkers who are most likely to come across them.
Some of the plants are hard to recognise because they look very similar to other species, especially when they are not flowering, so people are being asked to treat every plant like it's the last.
