Council of Heads of Australasian Herbaria facts for kids
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| Available in | English |
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| Commercial | No |
| Registration | ABN 31 496 409 479 |
| Current status | Active |
The Council of Heads of Australasian Herbaria (CHAH) is a special group. It brings together the leaders of important plant collections. These collections are called herbaria. They are located in Australia and New Zealand.
CHAH has its own set of rules. It makes sure that plant names are correct and consistent. This helps scientists around the world. It supports the Australian Plant Name Index. This index is a big list of plant names. CHAH is an official group registered in Australia.
What is CHAH?
CHAH stands for the Council of Heads of Australasian Herbaria. It's like a club for the people who run big plant museums. These "plant museums" are called herbaria. They store millions of dried plant samples. These samples help scientists study plants.
The main goal of CHAH is to make sure plant names are correct. Imagine if a plant had many different names. It would be very confusing! CHAH helps keep all plant names organized. This is important for science and conservation.
Who are the Members?
The members of CHAH are the heads of major herbaria. These herbaria are found across Australia and New Zealand. Each one is a treasure chest of plant knowledge.
Here are some of the main herbaria whose leaders are part of CHAH:
- State Herbarium of South Australia, in Adelaide
- Queensland Herbarium, in Brisbane
- Australian National Herbarium, in Canberra
- Australian Tropical Herbarium, in Cairns
- Tasmanian Herbarium, in Hobart
- National Herbarium of Victoria, in Melbourne
- National Herbarium of New South Wales, in Sydney
- Northern Territory Herbarium, in Darwin
- Western Australian Herbarium, in Perth
- Allan Herbarium, Christchurch, in New Zealand
- Te Papa Herbaria, in Wellington, New Zealand
- Auckland Museum Herbarium, in Auckland
Other Important Members
Besides the main herbarium leaders, CHAH also includes other members. One member represents the National Collection of Fungi. This collection focuses on different types of fungi. Another member represents Australian university herbaria. These are plant collections found at universities.
Observers and Partners
CHAH also invites observers to join their meetings. These observers come from other important groups. They help CHAH work with different parts of the science community.
Some of the groups that send observers include:
- Papua New Guinea National Herbarium (LAE)
- Council of Heads of Australian Fauna Collections (CHAFC) - This group focuses on animal collections.
- Council of Australian Museum Directors (CAMD) - This group represents museum leaders.
- Australian Biological Resources Study (ABRS) - This group studies Australia's living things.
- Council of Heads of Australian Botanic Gardens (CHABG) - This group represents leaders of botanic gardens.
