Seed banking the future: Safeguarding rare plants in the Northern and Yorke
🌾🌱 Saving seeds today so future landscapes can thrive!
Check out how Grassroots Grants is being used to support seed banking - a way to future-proof nature in SA’s Northern and Yorke region 💚. A Grassroots Grants case study.
Small levy dollars. Big biodiversity impact. 💚
Some conservation work happens quietly – long before a shovel hits the ground.
Across the Northern and Yorke region, a handful of the rarest native plants are hanging on in small, scattered populations. Many are declining. Some exist in just a few known locations. And without action now, future restoration efforts could be left without the most basic ingredient of all: seed.
With support from the Northern and Yorke Landscape Board Grassroots Grants Program, the Australian Seed Bank Partnership (ASBP) set out to change that.
Across the Northern and Yorke region, a handful of the rarest native plants are hanging on in small, scattered populations. Many are declining. Some exist in just a few known locations. And without action now, future restoration efforts could be left without the most basic ingredient of all: seed.
With support from the Northern and Yorke Landscape Board Grassroots Grants Program, the Australian Seed Bank Partnership (ASBP) set out to change that.
Why seeds matter
The project set out to collect and bank seed from six threatened plant species found across the Northern and Yorke region. Seasonal conditions mean not every species produces seed every year, so the project aimed to successfully bank seed from the following targets:
- Acacia spilleriana (Round‑leaf Mulga)
- Leptorhynchos elongatus (Lanky Buttons)
- Swainsona procumbens (Broughton Pea)
- Mentha satureioides (Creeping Mint)
- Senecio macrocarpus (Large‑fruit Groundsel)
- Euphrasia collina ssp. osbornii (Osborn’s Eyebright)
- Swainsona behriana (Behr’s Swainson‑pea)
- Ptilotus angustifolius (Narrow‑leaf Mulla‑mulla)
From field to freezer (and beyond)
This wasn’t just a seed‑collecting road trip.
The project involved:
- Surveying known and historic populations
- Searching for previously unrecorded populations
- Collecting seed at peak viability
- Processing, cleaning and testing seed
- Banking collections in long‑term storage at the South Australian Seed Conservation Centre at the Adelaide Botanic Gardens
All survey data was also lodged with the State Herbarium and the Biological Database of South Australia, strengthening the scientific knowledge base for future threatened species management.
The project set out to collect and bank seed from six threatened plant species found across the Northern and Yorke region. Seasonal conditions mean not every species produces seed every year, so the project aimed to successfully bank seed from the following targets:
- Acacia spilleriana (Round‑leaf Mulga)
- Leptorhynchos elongatus (Lanky Buttons)
- Swainsona procumbens (Broughton Pea)
- Mentha satureioides (Creeping Mint)
- Senecio macrocarpus (Large‑fruit Groundsel)
- Euphrasia collina ssp. osbornii (Osborn’s Eyebright)
- Swainsona behriana (Behr’s Swainson‑pea)
- Ptilotus angustifolius (Narrow‑leaf Mulla‑mulla)
From field to freezer (and beyond)
This wasn’t just a seed‑collecting road trip.
The project involved:
- Surveying known and historic populations
- Searching for previously unrecorded populations
- Collecting seed at peak viability
- Processing, cleaning and testing seed
- Banking collections in long‑term storage at the South Australian Seed Conservation Centre at the Adelaide Botanic Gardens
All survey data was also lodged with the State Herbarium and the Biological Database of South Australia, strengthening the scientific knowledge base for future threatened species management.
Supporting community led restoration
One of the most powerful aspects of this project is what happens next.
Seed collected through this work is held in trust for the region – ready to be used by:
- Community‑led threatened flora recovery projects
- Private land conservation groups
- Habitat restoration initiatives across Northern and Yorke
In fact, partners such as the Clare Valley Private Lands Group are already planning restoration projects that rely directly on this newly secured seed.
By banking seed now, the project ensures that future plantings aren’t limited by availability – or forced to rely on less suitable, non‑local sources.
One of the most powerful aspects of this project is what happens next.
Seed collected through this work is held in trust for the region – ready to be used by:
- Community‑led threatened flora recovery projects
- Private land conservation groups
- Habitat restoration initiatives across Northern and Yorke
In fact, partners such as the Clare Valley Private Lands Group are already planning restoration projects that rely directly on this newly secured seed.
By banking seed now, the project ensures that future plantings aren’t limited by availability – or forced to rely on less suitable, non‑local sources.
A time critical investment
For some species, this work is genuinely urgent.
Small populations are becoming smaller, and genetic diversity is shrinking. Capturing seed while populations are still viable is essential – because once that diversity is lost, it can’t be recreated.
As the project team put it: tomorrow may be too late.
For some species, this work is genuinely urgent.
Small populations are becoming smaller, and genetic diversity is shrinking. Capturing seed while populations are still viable is essential – because once that diversity is lost, it can’t be recreated.
As the project team put it: tomorrow may be too late.
Leading by example
By greening a highly visible, well‑used agricultural site, Yorke Peninsula Field Days Inc is leading by example.
Visitors won’t just hear about the benefits of native vegetation – they’ll experience them firsthand, under the shade of trees planted by their own community.
By greening a highly visible, well‑used agricultural site, Yorke Peninsula Field Days Inc is leading by example.
Visitors won’t just hear about the benefits of native vegetation – they’ll experience them firsthand, under the shade of trees planted by their own community.
Big impact from a small grant
With $10,000 in Grassroots Grants funding, leveraged by significant in‑kind support and specialist expertise, this project demonstrates how strategic investment can unlock long‑term conservation outcomes.
It’s a perfect example of grassroots funding supporting:
✅ Science‑based decision making
✅ Regional collaboration
✅ Community empowerment
✅ Conservation that lasts well beyond the grant period
Because sometimes the most important restoration work starts not with planting – but with protecting what nature has already grown.
What makes the project successful?
|
Key takeaways
|
With $10,000 in Grassroots Grants funding, leveraged by significant in‑kind support and specialist expertise, this project demonstrates how strategic investment can unlock long‑term conservation outcomes.
It’s a perfect example of grassroots funding supporting:
✅ Science‑based decision making
✅ Regional collaboration
✅ Community empowerment
✅ Conservation that lasts well beyond the grant period
Because sometimes the most important restoration work starts not with planting – but with protecting what nature has already grown.
What makes the project successful?
|
Key takeaways
|
Grassroots Grants are delivered by the Northern and Yorke Landscape Board and are a great example of South Australia’s landscape levy at work, supporting local knowledge and community‑led action empowering communities to care for their environment.
Last year, the Northern and Yorke Landscape Board's Grassroots Grants (2025-2026) awarded $194,654 through the landscape levy to support volunteers, schools, community groups, First Nations, councils and landholder groups sustainably manage landscapes through on-ground work and education.
Expressions of Interest for the 2026-2027 round have closed. Stay tuned in early 2027 for the opening of the next round.
