- Cook Labor Government commits
$4.4 million to support production of native seed for restoration across the
Pilbara, Goldfields, and Kimberley
- Northern Native Seed Grants
will assist Aboriginal enterprises to establish native Seed Production Area
(SPA) trial sites.
- These sites will help meet increasing
demand for native seed supply for land restoration, carbon farming, and other
biodiversity initiatives
The Cook Labor Government has committed $4.4 million to
support the production of native seed for land restoration across the Pilbara,
Goldfields, and Kimberley regions.
Northern Native Seed Grants will assist Aboriginal
enterprises to establish up to seven native Seed Production Area (SPA) trial
sites, providing local, nature-based employment and training opportunities.
Seed Production Areas are an innovative approach to meeting
the increasing demand for native seed supply for land restoration, carbon
farming, and other biodiversity initiatives.
The project will inform a future restoration
economy through innovation in native seed technologies and the preservation of
Traditional Ecological Knowledge.
The Northern Native Seed Industry
Development Initiative is a collaboration between the Pilbara, Kimberley, and
Goldfields-Esperance Development Commissions.
An extensive consultation period of 16
months resulted in Expressions of Interest (EOI) being submitted by 26
respondents across all three project regions. These respondents are now
eligible to apply for the Northern Native Seed Grant round.
Applications for the Northern Native Seed
Grants are open to eligible EOI respondents from 5 March, 2024, to 8 April,
2024.
Successful applicants will be announced in
June, marking a significant milestone in the development of a First Nations-led
restoration economy in regional Western Australia.
For more information about the Northern
Native Seed Industry Development Initiative, please visit https://www.pdc.wa.gov.au/our-focus/projects/northern-native-seed-industry-development-initiative/northern-native-seed-industry-development-initiative.aspx
Comments attributed to Regional Development
Minister Don Punch:
"The Northern Native Seed Industry
Development Initiative represents a significant step forward in our commitment
to sustainable development and Aboriginal economic empowerment.
"By fostering the growth of Aboriginal-owned
enterprises in the native seed sector, we are contributing to the restoration
of our land and creating meaningful training and employment opportunities for
Aboriginal communities."
Comments attributed to Agriculture and Food
Minister Jackie Jarvis:
"This initiative highlights the Cook
Government's dedication to environmental stewardship and the important role
Indigenous knowledge and practices can play in carbon farming and land
restoration initiatives.
"We are planting the seeds for a greener, more inclusive future for
Western Australia."
