It's not just a matter of salaries and funding, the economic environment has changed a lot in the few decades. Individual incomes don't go as far as they used to, inflation is through the roof. Even the high paying jobs are suffering, they just have further to fall. The jobs that were on the margin (like Botany probably) have been pushed over the economic cliff and are no longer viable given the cost of entry.

We need a fundamental reassessment of science funding and our economic priorities, sadly I imagine things will have to get a lot worse before that conversation happens, and frankly the people who got us into this mess have to leave office/die off, as a class they've proven unwilling/unable to adapt to uncomfortable realities.