During thE 9th World Conference on Ecological Restoration, hosted by SER on June 21-24 2021, the Native seed community was represented by INSR, through a series of workshops, and by native seed networks from all over the world.
The U.S. National Seed Strategy: Building/Gaining Momentum to Move the Restoration Needle
Overview - Restoring understory plant diversity: considerations when incorporating native forbs in restoration
Native forbs provide important food and shelter resources for wildlife and are the component that adds species diversity to many native plant communities. This symposium provided an overview of some important aspects to consider when using native forbs in restoration and highlights recent work relevant to different phases of restoration.
Reasons to be hopeful: Lessons from the symposium “The True Green Infrastructure: Model to Develop Native Plant Materials from Wildland Seed to Restoration” in the U.S.
This symposium covered a national U.S. approach to developing commercially available, locally adapted native seed for restoring resilient ecosystems. Five speakers contributed talks highlighting attributes of using and developing native seed, from wildland seed collection, to monitoring after restoration, to the history of native seed development by U.S. federal agencies.
Seed production areas are crucial to conservation outcomes: benefits and risks of an emerging restoration tool
A new review article is now available in Biodiversity and Conservation about seed production areas (SPAs) from Zinnen et al. (2021). The review synthesizes research about SPAs, as well as other literature applicable to the topic. It provides a comprehensive investigation into the SPA literature and highlights the disproportionate influence of SPAs on conservation and restoration outcomes.
Aspirin could take the headache out of seed-based restoration
Recently published research reveals that aspirin can do more than just heal your headache. It can also help with restoring ecosystems that have been damaged and establishing sustainable pastures. This study performed on native perennial grasses showed that very low concentrations of Salicylic acid, applied to the seed can improve plant survival.
Small mammals influence plant community structure around the world by preferentially consuming seeds of certain sizes and implications for ecological restoration
Scientists have long recognized that rodents and other small mammals are such voracious seed predators that they could affect plant abundance in natural systems. However, many plant species produce so many more seeds than are necessary to replace and expand their populations that seed predation may have negligible effects on plant populations and communities…
Seeds of Restoration Success: Fort Belknap Indian Community/BLM/SER Native Seed and Grassland Restoration Program
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.
Launch of world’s first international standards for native seeds in ecological restoration
INSR is pleased to announce that the First International Principles and Standards for Native Seeds in Ecological Restoration are now available as an Open Source Special Issue of Restoration Ecology.
To access the special issue, click on the image below.
The growing demand for native seeds in ecological restoration and rehabilitation has resulted in a $1 billion global industry in the sourcing, supply, and sale of native seeds. Until now, there has been little international guidance for ensuring native seeds have the same standards of quality assurance that are already regular practice in the crop and horticultural industries. Using the SER International Principles and Standards for the Practice of Ecological Restoration as a foundation document, INSR synthesized general practices in the native seed supply chain. They derived the Principles and Standards for Native Seeds ("Seed Standards") from this synthesis. These practices and the underpinning science provide the basis for developing quality measures and guidance statements that are adaptable at the local, biome, or national scale. Importantly, the Seed Standards define what is considered native seed in ecological restoration and highlight the differences between native seeds versus seeds of improved genetics. The Seed Standards are not intended to be mandatory, however, the guidance statements provide the foundation upon which regulatory approaches can be developed by constituencies and jurisdictions.
Seed ecology and restoration practice to reestablish fynbos vegetation after alien plant invasion
In a critically endangered vegetation type within the mega-diverse fynbos biome in the Cape Region of South Africa, passive and active interventions were compared in terms of restoration success following removal of invasive Acacia saligna, since this ecosystem is a good example of where clearing alone has often failed to facilitate recovery of the native ecosystem.
Australian Native Seed Survey Report
Workshop on accessible seed pelleting and drone technologies for restoration in Brazil
INSR at SER2019 - Science, Debate and Networking around Seeds for Restoration
Restoration potential of soil seed bank in a changing climate
In a recent special issue in Restoration Ecology, the main topics were seed dispersal and seed bank ecology. In one of the review papers published in that issue we synthesized the existing knowledge about the seed bank of various open habitats and the effect of climate change on them. Due to the very few direct climate manipulation studies in open habitats with respect to soil seed bank, we provided a new perspective to reveal the possible effect of climate change on the soil seed bank.
Using the Soil Seed Bank to Inform Ecological Restoration in a Colorado Semi-arid Shrubland
Restoring Habitat and Hope
Ethical seed sourcing is a key issue in meeting global restoration targets
Hundreds of thousands of tonnes of wild seeds are needed to restore plant ecosystems globally but over harvesting risks their depletion unless ethical seed-sourcing regulations are developed, Curtin University research has found. A paper, just published in journal Current Biology, concluded that inadequate regulatory frameworks controlling wild-seed sourcing, limited farming capacity and seed wastage are impeding moves towards the sustainable practice of native-seed collection.
Soil seed banks: a sneak preview into the future
Many arid land plants possess seed dormancy, enabling them to delay germination until receiving environmental cues that stimulate development. Dormant seeds within the soil create seed banks that are a valuable resource for regeneration of native plant communities after disturbance. Seed germination and soil seed bank research is important to better understand soil seed bank dynamics, appropriately select restoration seed mixes, and gauge the restoration potential contained within existing soil seed banks.
Seed-based restoration of damaged Mediterranean coastal habitats: the Sardinia case
The Mediterranean Basin is one of the most important plant diversity hotspots worldwide; however, its sandy coasts are affected by strong erosive processes, also accentuated by the disappearance of dune and submerged vegetation caused by human exploitation. Therefore, in the Mediterranean area the plant species conservation and ecological habitat restoration are of major importance for sustainable development.