Journal of the Australian Native Plants Society Canberra region (Inc)
A Dearth of Native Seeds for Nature Repair
By Stephen Saunders
Jul, 2024
Australia has signed a global pledge, to get 30% of degraded ecosystems under “repair” by 2030.
Assisted by a Denmark-based researcher, two Western Sydney University academics point to a practical problem, limited native-seed supplies, especially understorey species such as herbs and grasses. They propose remedies to improve the breadth and depth of supplies.
Only 10% of native plants can be bought as seed — a big problem for nature repair. Here’s how we can make plantings more diverse.
By Samantha Ellen Andres, Joe Atkinson and Rachael Gallagher
(Extract from The Conversation, Jun 10, 2024)
“More than 52 million hectares of land across Australia is degraded. Australia signed the Global Biodiversity Framework in 2022, pledging to ensure 30% of degraded ecosystems are ‘under effective restoration’ by 2030.
The problem is we don’t have enough seeds from Australia’s endemic plants — species found only in this country (often with very limited distributions). Our new research shows both the quantity and diversity of native seed available for restoration are limited across the country. Only 10% of our native species are readily available for sale as seed.”
Read the full article on The Conversation:
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