An ambitious climate project that harnesses the power of native tree seeds has been unveiled to advance African land restoration.
The Right Tree, Right Place Seed project will provide high-quality native tree seeds across Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, Rwanda and Burkina Faso.
The initiative seeks to bridge the gap between planting policy and execution, improve coordination between the public and private sectors in seed accessibility, and establish viable business models to promote the adoption of native tree seeds, all of which allow a unique combination of skills.
Center for International Forestry Research and World Agroforestry CEO Éliane Ubalijoro said there is a need for high-quality seeds for the right species that are best suited to their purpose and environment.
“This is how we create good and resilient ecosystems – for food security, biodiversity, livelihoods and stabilising our climate,” she said.
“By nurturing native species, we are not only safeguarding our environment but also partnering with local communities and fostering resilience. Investing in seed systems is to preserve our heritage, protect biodiversity, build a global commons that can ignite high-quality tree seed systems including the private sector and secure a sustainable future for generations to come.”
With a budget of €20 million (Sh3 billion), the landscape restoration endeavour will foster an environment conducive to native tree seed and seedling production and enhance supply-demand dynamics, through knowledge sharing, seed mobilisation and capacity development.
The project’s innovative force lies in addressing local and global challenges through tree planting for both current and predicted future climates.
It builds upon local knowledge, science and cooperation between communities and the public and private sectors to make restoration scalable and sustainable.
The project will be implemented in Kenya, whose commitment under the Bonn Challenge and AFR100 initiatives is to restore 5.1 million hectares of native forest by 2030.
Forestry PS Gitonga Mugambi said the project with the noble objectives will help brings up the issue of seeds and seedlings policy and systems, speaking to the needs of Kenya.
“It will be very impactful in many areas, creating jobs and value chains right from the seed to the tree, contributing to our environment through carbon sequestration and providing materials for different activities in the country. With the improvement of seeds, there is biodiversity improvement so we can bring back landscapes to what they are supposed to be.” Ramni Jamnadass, a senior advisor of biodiversity and trees genetic resources at CIFOR-ICRAF and Principal Scientist of the project said reforestation efforts to date have focused too narrowly on fast-growing exotic trees rather than planting biodiverse native species tailored to local ecological conditions.
This undermines long-term sustainability. Jamnadass said the project will help tackle interlinked challenges through a coordinated strategy.
She said the project will enabling policies and institutions for the native tree seed supply sector and develop technical capacity all along the seed-to-seedling delivery chain.
The project will link nurseries to meet restoration demands.