Carolinian Canada will offer an online information session to introduce the Southern Ontario Seed Strategy (SOSS) to Provincial government ministry staff whose work connects with environment, conservation, park management, species at risk, development, green infrastructure, transportation, agriculture, and policy. It is also relevant for staff who focus on biodiversity and climate resilience strategies. Anyone with an interest in native seeds and plants is welcome.
This session will focus on how we can address the need for native seed for biodiversity conservation, sustainable development, and climate resilience, and the strategy that is being developed collaboratively now to help reconcile and restore the land. It will also explore how the strategy connects to your mandates and programs and how you can get involved.
Please join us online: Dec. 6, 12:00p.m. - 1:00p.m. - REGISTER HERE - (Shopify)
In the UN decade of ecological restoration, now more than ever, Southern Ontario needs coordinated action to scale up native seed supplies to meet ambitious restoration and biodiversity targets, as well as climate resilience goals. The need for a seed strategy in Southern Ontario was identified to address this gap and prioritize actions to ensure that ethically sourced, genetically appropriate native seeds are available to meet regional needs. This strategy aims to:
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Create policy that prioritizes the use of native seeds for development and infrastructure projects
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Increased horticultural, and agricultural capacity within the native plant sector
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Build tools that connect seed supply and demand
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Create robust training and certification programs for seed practitioners
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Implement tracking and labelling programs for source-identified seed
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Incentivize use of local native seed
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Identify ecological, cultural, and restoration focal species for scaling
Read more about the SOSS here - https://caroliniancanada.ca/seed.
Provincial government ministries, as policy makers within the seed supply chain, are important stakeholders in this discussion. We therefore invite you and your colleagues to take this opportunity to learn more and engage with other partners and rightsholders to ensure the Southern Ontario Seed Strategy is representative of all perspectives. Please feel free to share this invitation with any colleagues you think may be interested.
If you have any questions about this session, please reach out via email to seed@carolinian.org