Australian native seed sector practice and behavior could limit ecological restoration success: further insights from the Australian Native Seed Report

Abstract

The Australian native seed sector is critical for undertaking ecological restoration but faces serious challenges from interacting factors, including native vegetation loss and habitat fragmentation, low funding levels, and climate change impacts. The Australian Native Seed Survey was conducted in 2016–2017 to better understand sector structure, practitioner perceptions, and practice. It found that most native seed is collected from small and fragmented tenures and from geographic ranges that greatly exceed “local provenance”; that the diversity of species available for restoration is typically low; that native seed is seldom quality tested; and that most annual seed collections (wild or production) are small in volume suggesting overall seed yields are modest in quantity and not sufficient to support large‐scale restoration. Together, survey findings raise serious concerns about the ability of the sector, as currently constituted and resourced, to meet projected future increases in the demand for seed or for achieving the effectiveness and efficiency required to meet UN‐Decade type ecological restoration outcomes. Central to recommendations for sector improvement are the following focus areas: maturing the native seed sector; sustainability; seed production; licensing; seed testing and tracking; and research.

Australian native seed sector characteristics and perceptions indicate low capacity for upscaled ecological restoration: insights from the Australian Native Seed Report

“…Florabank, Australian Network for Plant Conservation (https://www.anpc.asn.au) or from contractual specifications from seed purchasers is unclear. More information concerning seed provenance behaviors can be found in Gibson‐Roy et al (2021b).…”

“…healthy remnants or seed production), is well below what is desired. How well these concerns match or link to practice and behaviors will be explored and discussed in a subsequent paper (Gibson‐Roy et al 2021b).…”

“…Despite the seed/restoration sector slowly evolving in response to the many demands and challenges it faces, these survey findings raise significant doubts about how, as currently structured, it could meet significant future increases in demand or achieve greater effectiveness and efficiency in undertaking ecological restoration. This situation highlights the need for further review and exploration (by all sector stakeholders) of ways in which the speed and effectiveness of this evolution can be achieved (see Recommendations in Gibson‐Roy et al 2021b).…”

“…This is consistent with feedback and predictions of reduced seed yields from normally reliable wild populations, being informally reported by seed collectors at workshops and forums in SA and NSW (L. Broadhurst 2017, personal communication). More findings on seed yields are reported in Gibson-Roy et al ( 2021b).…”

“…This survey aimed to provide a national snapshot of the Australian native seed sector. This article will report on survey findings under the topic areas of sector characteristics and issues of sector concern, while Gibson-Roy et al (2021b) will report on sector practice and behavior.…”