Why Seed Collecting Matters: Supporting Restoration on the Central Coast

Across the Central Coast, the humble act of collecting native seeds is quietly making a big impact. Central Coast Council’s dedicated seed collecting group has helped gather over 250 species across 110 different sites, providing vital support for a wide range of restoration and revegetation projects.

The seed we collect helps supply plants for our Environmental Volunteer groups, ecological rehabilitation projects, landscaping across public spaces, and of course, our two major National Tree Day planting events at Killcare Beach and Porters Creek Wetland. In fact, it's estimated that at least 20,000 native plants are propagated and distributed from our nursery each year- plants that began life as tiny seeds or cuttings, hand-collected by trained volunteers and staff.

One of the most powerful aspects of our seed collecting efforts is the focus on genetic diversity. By collecting across a wide range of vegetation communities, we’re not just growing more plants, we’re helping preserve the unique genetic signatures of species throughout the Central Coast Local Government Area. This is especially important as we face challenges like habitat fragmentation, climate change, and reduced gene flow between plant populations.

Traditionally, restoration projects have focused on “local provenance”- using plant material sourced from as close as possible to the restoration site. But more recent thinking has expanded that idea. As landscapes become increasingly fragmented, and as climate change drives shifts in species’ ranges, we need to consider how populations are adapting and to ensure that our seed collections reflect those changes.

It’s not just what we collect that matters, but how we collect it.

Our seed collecting group takes a strategic approach: collecting broadly across populations, using methods that reduce bias, and recording detailed data about where and how each seed was collected.

This thoughtful, science-backed approach helps ensure the seed stock we produce has the genetic diversity needed to thrive in the long term whilst meeting the growing demand for restoration projects across our region.

Zooming out, these issues reflect a broader challenge in the native seed industry. A recent national study found that commercial seed collecting in Australia is largely unregulated (Commander et al. 2021). Often contractors may over collect from a single site over a short period of time, limiting the availability of food resources for other fauna or potentially reducing the future resilience of a site to regenerate itself. In many cases, seed viability isn’t tested before use, meaning restoration projects might fail before they even begin.

On top of that, major ecological events like the devastating 2019–2020 Black Summer bushfires, which destroyed an estimated 5.5 million hectares of vegetation in NSW (NSW Government, 2024), have only increased the pressure on seed supply. Across Australia, the demand for native seed is vast, and growing. Researchers, governments, NGOs and community groups are working together to find scalable solutions that are ethical, scientifically robust, and climate-aware.

One significant development helping to guide this work is the recent update to the Florabank Guidelines, Australia’s best-practice framework for native seed collection. These guidelines have been modernised to better reflect today’s environmental challenges, and they’re now available as a free series of online learning modules. You can check them out by visiting Florabank Guidelines. 

If you’re interested in learning more about the current state of Australia’s native seed sector, we recommend reading the Australian Native Seed Survey Report. It offers valuable insights into the challenges and opportunities facing seed supply for restoration. 

Here on the Central Coast, we’re fortunate. We have access to an incredible range of collection sites, and we manage many of our restoration projects in-house. This gives us greater oversight, better quality control, and the ability to grow plants that are truly suited to the local landscape, both now and in the future.

If you’re someone who likes to get your hands dirty and learn by doing—we’d love to have you join our team!

Join the Seed Collecting Group

Our seed collecting group meets on the 2nd Tuesday of each month from 8.30-11.30am at rotating bushland sites. Volunteers learn plant identification, collect seed and cuttings, and help sort and label materials for nursery propagation. It’s a great way to contribute to local conservation, meet like-minded people, and learn hands-on skills that really make a difference.

Join the Nursery Volunteer group

Our nursery runs volunteer sessions on Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings. Whilst our Monday and Wednesday groups are currently full, we still have spaces available in our Friday group. For further information about being placed on a wait list for Monday or Wednesday, or to become involved with the Friday group now, please email us. 

Interested? Email: environmentalvolunteering@centralcoast.nsw.gov.au 

References: Commander, L. E., Merritt, D. J., Dixon, K. W., & Delpratt, J. (2021). The Australian Native Seed Survey Report. Australian Network for Plant Conservation.
NSW Government. (2024, December 19). Five years on from Black Summer – a time to reflect

This article was written by Suzie German, Environmental Volunteer Officer