California’s Bold Plan: Restoring Landscapes with Native Seeds by 2030
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📰 The quick summary: California’s native seed collection efforts help restore natural habitats for endangered species and protect the state’s biodiversity through an innovative large-scale farming approach that produces over 30,000 pounds of seeds annually.
📈 One key stat: Heritage Growers farm produces over 30,000 pounds of native seeds each year and maintains more than 200 native plant varieties, enabling landscape restoration at an unprecedented scale.
💬 One key quote: “What we do is bigger than just the day that we live. The species that we collect are going to make impacts on the restoration industry for decades to come,” said Haleigh Holgate, seed collection manager.
1️⃣ The big picture: California faces an urgent challenge to restore its degraded landscapes and protect biodiversity, with three-quarters of native vegetation altered in the last 200 years. To meet ambitious conservation goals of protecting 30% of land by 2030, the state needs massive quantities of native seeds. Heritage Growers, a non-profit organization, works to bridge this gap by collecting wild seeds and amplifying them through farming. Their innovative approach involves careful collection of seeds from natural areas, followed by cultivation at their 2,088-acre farm to produce seeds at scale. The seeds support critical restoration projects across the state, from river corridors to new state parks.
2️⃣ Why is this good news: This large-scale native seed production enables faster and more effective restoration of California’s natural landscapes. The restored habitats provide essential support for endangered species and help fight climate change through nature-based solutions. The work also benefits Indigenous communities by restoring culturally significant plants and creating spaces for traditional practices. By producing seeds at scale, these efforts make restoration projects more feasible and help preserve California’s unique biodiversity for future generations.
3️⃣ What’s next: Heritage Growers plans to continue expanding their seed collection and amplification efforts across their 35 collection sites. The organization aims to increase production beyond their current 30,000 pounds of seeds annually to meet growing demand. Their long-term planning approach, which can take 5+ years from collection to restoration, will help support California’s ambitious conservation goals. The team will maintain their commitment to ethical harvesting practices while scaling up operations.
Read the full story here: The Guardian – Meet the seed collector restoring California’s landscapes – one tiny plant at a time
