Native Seeds: The Missing Link in Quarry Restoration

At Wazo Hill Quarry in coastal Tanzania, decades of limestone extraction have left a heavily degraded landscape with little natural regeneration. Restoration efforts have relied on imported species, while no organized system for native seed supply existed - until now.

Our project under the Quarry Life Award 2024/2025 set out to solve this critical gap by developing the first scientifically structured native seed production system tailored to quarry restoration in East Africa.

This journey began with ecological assessments, species mapping, and understanding the phenology of native trees to build a strong foundation for large-scale restoration.

This approach aligns with global ecological restoration principles emphasizing the use of locally adapted native species to enhance biodiversity resilience and ecosystem recovery (e.g, SER 2019; Broadhurst et al. 2008).

Reference:
- Society for Ecological Restoration (SER). 2019. International Principles and Standards for the Practice of Ecological Restoration. 2nd edition. Society for Ecological Restoration, Washington, D.C.
- Broadhurst, L.M., et al. (2008). Seed supply for broadscale restoration: Maximizing evolutionary potential. Evolutionary Applications, 1(4), 587–597.

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