In fall 2019, the Fort Belknap Indian Community (FBIC) launched a promising 5-year partnership with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the Society for Ecological Restoration (SER) to implement the Seeds of Success (SOS) Native Seed and Grassland Restoration Program. Our program focuses on the role of Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) in ecological restoration, working in close partnership with FBIC on BLM and adjacent tribal lands on Montana’s Northern Great Plains.
Seed-based Restoration: How experiences in Brazil are increasing in both scale and co-benefits
Direct seeding has expanded as a method for ecological restoration on degraded areas with low natural regeneration potential in Brazil. Results demonstrate ecological and reduced costs, in addition to generating income and social opportunities for marginal communities that have preserved ecosystems and are now engaged in supplying seeds for a growing native seed market. In order to spread the use of this restoration strategy, a multiple-stakeholder initiative was created in 2019, focused on up-scaling adoption of the method and matching its growth with native seed production. Hence, we present the Seed Paths Initiative (Iniciativa Caminhos da Semente, in Portuguese), framing lessons learned and recommendations for structuring the seed production chain and expanding direct seeding adoption and its social benefits among restoration projects in Brazil.