Australian Botanical Liaison Officer

Australian Botanical Liaison Officer was a secondment position, held for up to twelve months by an Australian botanist (or expert in Australian botany) at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew, London, England in the United Kingdom. The position was created in 1937, and the first ABLO was Charles Gardner. Travel and living costs for the position were funded by the Australian government, with the appointee's salary continuing to be paid by their current employing institution.

The position was advertised by the Australian Biological Resources Study (ABRS), part of the Australian government's Department of the Environment and Heritage. Assessment and selection of candidates is undertaken by the Council of Heads of Australian Herbaria (CHAH), who advised the Australian Biological Resources Study Advisory Committee (ABRSAC) to recommend the Minister approve the appointment.

In 2009, a review was conducted by ABRS, CHAH and the Advisory Committee which determined that there was no strong need for the ABLO position due to advances in digital technology which gave detailed access to herbarium specimen data over the internet, and the position was discontinued. A research grants system replaced the program, which aimed to fund overseas placements as botanical institutions other than Kew Gardens.

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