A national forum in Uralla later this month will bring together government agencies, scientists, restoration practitioners and native seed suppliers to address a growing challenge facing Australia’s environmental restoration efforts – a shortage of native seed.
The Native Seed Supply Forum, to be held from 27 to 29 May, will focus on strengthening Australia’s native seed supply chain as demand surges from carbon farming projects, biodiversity programs and large-scale environmental restoration initiatives.
The event will place the small New England town at the centre of a national conversation about how Australia restores landscapes, protects biodiversity and meets ambitious environmental targets in the decades ahead.
BioBank Seed principal Benjamin Field said native seed supply was emerging as a major constraint on restoration efforts nationwide.
“Australia’s environmental restoration efforts are accelerating, but the national supply of native seed is not keeping pace with rapidly growing demand,” Mr Field said.
“As government-directed restoration initiatives expand, demand for native seed has increased sharply.
“However, this growth has not been matched by coordinated planning or investment in seed supply systems, and native seed has emerged as a critical but largely overlooked bottleneck in restoration delivery.”
The challenge comes as governments and private organisations invest heavily in programs aimed at restoring degraded landscapes, improving biodiversity outcomes and increasing carbon sequestration through revegetation projects.
While restoration targets continue to grow, industry leaders say the systems needed to supply the millions of seeds required each year have not received the same level of attention.
Unlike many commercial products, native seed cannot simply be ordered when required. Seed collectors and producers often need years of advance planning, with availability influenced by seasonal conditions, climate variability, species biology and genetic requirements.
Many native species only produce viable seed under particular environmental conditions, meaning collection opportunities can be unpredictable and infrequent. In some cases, years may pass between suitable collection events.
Mr Field said a lack of understanding about how the native seed industry operates was creating challenges for restoration programs.
“A key challenge facing restoration programs is a persistent lack of awareness that seed availability fluctuates with season and climate, that seed banking operates on long planning cycles, and that genetic provenance and diversity are fundamental to long-term restoration success,” he said.
Without early planning and coordination, restoration projects can face delays, increased costs and poorer environmental outcomes.
The forum aims to improve collaboration between governments, researchers and industry, while identifying ways to better align restoration planning, funding timelines and seed production capacity.
Participants are expected to examine opportunities for stronger national coordination, share current research and discuss practical solutions to improve the resilience of Australia’s seed supply network.
A key focus will be ensuring restoration projects have access not only to sufficient quantities of seed, but also to genetically appropriate material capable of supporting healthy ecosystems over the long term.
Mr Field said bringing key decision-makers together would help ensure Australia’s growing environmental investments could be supported by a reliable and scalable seed supply network.
“By bringing decision makers, scientists and seed suppliers together, the Native Seed Supply 2026 Forum will help ensure Australia’s growing environmental investments are supported by seed supply systems capable of delivering durable, high-quality restoration outcomes at scale,” he said.
The event has been initiated by Uralla-based BioBank Seed and is supported by Southern New England Landcare, Uralla Shire Council, ACEN Australia and the NSW Government.
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