Limited native seed supply for ecological restoration

In January 2023 the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) published "An Assessment of Native Seed Needs and the Capacity for their Supply", very relevant to Go Native! perennials work and to all of our future.

And here's why (this text is directly taken from the NAS report):

"Extreme weather and wildfires, intensified by climate change, are damaging the native plant communities of landscapes across the United States. Native plant communities are foundational to thriving ecosystems, delivering goods and services that regulate the environment and support life, provide food and shelter for a wide range of native animals, and embody a wealth of genetic information with many beneficial applications. Restoring impaired ecosystems requires a supply of diverse native plant seeds that are well suited to the climates, soils, and other living species of the system."

Since 2020 the need to strengthen the nation’s supply of native seed for ecological restoration and re-naturalization is even more necessary.

Here's why (from the NAS Report Preface):

The year 2021 came in just behind 2020 in terms of number of multi-billion-dollar climatic disasters (20 versus 22) and third in total costs (behind 2017 and 2005), with a price tag of $145 billion (www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/billions/). Major climate-related events in 2021 alone included a severe cold wave in the South, massive wildfires and continued drought in the West, flooding in California and Louisiana, 3 tornado outbreaks, 4 tropical cyclones, and 8 other severe weather events. The increasing magnitude and frequency of such climatic mega-disturbances is straining not only our economy but the recovery capacity of ecosystems, in synergy with other unceasing stresses including invasive species, energy and mineral extraction, urbanization, and land conversion. As the vulnerabilities of humans,

wildlife, and critical ecosystem services to these disruptions grow, the need for ecological restoration in the 21st century will continue its trajectory toward a previously unmatched scale. In the US just as elsewhere in the world, a limited supply of native seeds and other native plant materials is a widely acknowledged barrier to fulfilling our most critical restoration needs.

GNP will be sharing with you what we're doing to increase seeds in CNY.