By Sonia Isaacs
MALENY based botanist and lifelong teacher Dr Hilary Pearl has been named one of the 2026 Australian Native Plant Awards winners, recognising her decades-long contribution to understanding, conserving, and celebrating the Sunshine Coast’s rare heathland flora.
The prestigious Australian Native Plant Awards are presented every two years by the Australian Native Plant Society (Australia) (ANPSA) to people who have made an outstanding contribution to the knowledge of Australian plants.
Winners are selected in two categories – professional and amateur; with Dr Pearl announced as a joint winner in the professional category.
The awards were formally presented in Alice Springs last Wednesday August 26, 2026, during ANPSA’s biennial national conference, which rotates locations around Australia.
Dr Pearl, who has lived in Maleny for 42 years, said the award prompted her to reflect on a lifetime of teaching and conservation.
“I’ve got imposter syndrome – of course I don’t deserve it,” she laughed, “but I try and also look at it in the context of my whole professional life… I’ve done 30 years of teaching in local schools, and conservation ecology and botany were all part of that.”
A former science, biology and chemistry teacher at Maleny, Caboolture and Morayfield State High Schools, Dr Pearl later completed a PhD at the University of the Sunshine Coast in 2023, focusing on the region’s heathland ecosystems – the low, shrubby “wildflower” vegetation that lines parts of the coast and surrounds the Glass House Mountains.
Her research examined the different heath types, their conservation importance, how much has been lost since European settlement, and how much remains. She now shares that knowledge widely through workshops and guided walks, helping locals and visitors alike recognise and value the plants that make the Sunshine Coast distinctive.
Dr Pearl says the Glass House Mountains are particularly special for their high number of endemic species plants found nowhere else on Earth shaped over millions of years on the ancient volcanic plugs.
She is also quick to acknowledge that her award also reflects the work of community advocates, local conservation groups, and passionate amateurs.
“Every scrap of heathland across the coast has been saved by the advocacy of local people over the last 60 years,” she said.
“All our identification books are written by amateur botanists… it just shows how important the work of advocates for our vegetation is in terms of conservation. Never give up!”
Dr Pearl hopes the recognition will encourage more people to plant local native species in their gardens, creating crucial habitat corridors for the region’s flora and fauna.
“We have fantastic flora on the Sunshine Coast,” she said.
“The more that people use it and plant it in their gardens, the better… the more we use them and plant them and love them and celebrate them and learn about them, the better for all the flora and fauna in our local area.”
