LONDON – As communities strive to build climate resilience and reverse the trend of biodiversity loss, demand for readily available ecologically appropriate native seed and plants continues to increase dramatically.
A new report by Carolinian Canada shows that in southern Ontario, where habitat loss is especially high, the native plant sector requires serious investment and support to meet this demand.
The Economy of Hope: Growing Healthy Landscapes in the Greater Golden Horseshoe in Partnership with Native Plants documents challenges and opportunities in the native plant sector to build a robust and ethical supply chain to meet healthy landscape restoration targets as governments seek to deliver on COP15 2030 biodiversity commitments.
The report emphasizes the importance of grounding the growth of the sector in Indigenous leadership.
Key facts include:
– the Greater Golden Horseshoe (GGH) is the most industrialized region in the country, and is home to almost 10 million people and two of Canada’s nine crisis ecoregions;
– the eight First Nations communities located across the GGH, with more Indigenous Peoples and communities outside this boundary, have recognized treaty rights, are significant stewards of remaining biodiversity, and part of the native plant sector in southern Ontario;
– ecoregions in the GGH consist of less than five per cent of land in Canada but include habitat for more than 60 per cent of Canada’s plant and wildlife species at risk;
– native plants (those here before European contact) are crucial to a healthy ecosystem as they provide food for all native wildlife (including pollinators), help mitigate climate change through carbon sequestration, filter air and fresh water, provide flood control and create habitat for native wildlife; and
– the United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration 2021-2030 calls for action to protect and restore ecosystems for the benefit of people and nature, enhance livelihoods, and build climate resilience.
Challenges facing the native plant sector:
– too few local suppliers;
– lack of economic development support for sector expansion;
– limited seed supply while demand is increasing rapidly;
– lack of co-ordinated supply chain;
– competition with non-native and low-quality planting options; and
– lack of education and marketing of appropriate native species for various projects.
Key recommendations:
– develop a Southern Ontario native seed strategy;
– establish a native plant hub to co-ordinate seed need forecasting, develop recognized standards, connect supply with demand, and align efforts across the sector;
– expand and fund training and certification programs that focus on the propagation of native species as well as build job skills and sector capacity;
– establish labelling programs for native seeds and plants;
– implement policies and actions to mandate and support the incorporation of locally sourced native plants; and
– create capacity-building financial tools and investment opportunities to help the native plant sector expand.
Check out the full report here: caroliniancanada.ca/seed/economy-of-hope.
“Growing native plants is the greenest job on earth, and a sustainable future is within our grasp,” said Carolinian Canada executive director Michelle Kanter.
“We need to unleash the potential of our local economies and diverse businesses to accelerate healthy landscapes in the spirit and practice of reconciliation.”
