Substantial increases in populations of native species are needed if we are to have any chance of reversing biodiversity loss and tackling invasive species threats. And to start this we need seed - lots and lots of seed. During the past year local seed collectors and seed scouts have been trained up and are now employed to collect, clean and sort seed, supported by staff from the Agriculture and Natural Resources Department, the Trust and other volunteers.

Seed collection is just one part of the process of recovering rare species and restoring habitats. Training in propagation techniques and establishing plants back in the wild has been led by Lourens Malan and the Conservation team. All of these activities are enabling us to set more ambitious targets for the conservation of the island’s native biodiversity.