2023 Threatened Species Bake-off
Now in its 7th year, the Threatened Species Bake Off is hosted by the Threatened Species Commissioner at the Australian Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water.
Australians are invited to bake a delicious creation depicting a threatened species of their choosing and enter for a chance to win in a number of categories. Each year a theme is selected and this year’s is:
Loving the unlovely and getting to know the unknown
You can enter by email (tsbakeoff@dcceew.gov.au) or by sharing your creations on social media with the hashtag #TSBakeOff2023 by 24th September!
The Wimmera CMA (which hosts the Yarrilinks Facilitator position) got in on the fun and several staff members prepared delicious creations.
Wimmera Spider Orchid
Yarrilinks Facilitator Alicia is a mad orchid lover, so she chose to make a cake celebrating the Wimmera Spider Orchid (Caladenia lowanensis). This species is endemic to the area around Little Desert National Park (meaning it is found no where else!).
While orchids are some of the most “charismatic” of plant species, plants are often overlooked. The concept of “plant blindness” was coined to reflect the human tendency to ignore plant species - they are seen as part of the backdrop in our environment, not the focus.
Why is this a problem? Plants make up more than half of global endangered species, but attract only a fraction of the funding.
Check out all the WCMA staff creations below! As part of our event we also did a people’s choice vote (the Smoky Mouse took it by a landslide), vote for most overlooked or unusual species (The Suter’s Striped Glass Snail won this one) and an interactive trivia quiz on threatened species of the Wimmera (Alicia was proud to win this one!).
