How can Brazilian legislation on native seeds advance based on good practices of restoration in other countries?

In the decade of global ecological restoration efforts, Brazil intends to restore 12 million hectares of degraded areas. This will require an ample offer of seeds of native species, unavailable on the current market, which is partly due to inadequate legislation. We reviewed the literature on native...

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Main Authors: Rodrigo Dutra-Silva, Gerhard E. Overbeck, Sandra C. Müller
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2024-07-01
Series:Perspectives in Ecology and Conservation
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2530064424000403
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author Rodrigo Dutra-Silva
Gerhard E. Overbeck
Sandra C. Müller
author_facet Rodrigo Dutra-Silva
Gerhard E. Overbeck
Sandra C. Müller
author_sort Rodrigo Dutra-Silva
collection DOAJ
description In the decade of global ecological restoration efforts, Brazil intends to restore 12 million hectares of degraded areas. This will require an ample offer of seeds of native species, unavailable on the current market, which is partly due to inadequate legislation. We reviewed the literature on native seed production and the specific legislation in Brazil, and compared with rules of other countries to identify good examples to be followed. We first verified a lack of regulation concerning the seed collection in natural environments in Brazil, which contrasts with the Society of Ecological Restoration (SER) recommendations. Best practices for seed collection should be developed by environmental agencies. Second, the scarcity of accredited laboratories for native seed quality analysis is a limitation in Brazil. The development of strategies for streamlined accreditation that align with SER's quality standards for native seeds meant for restoration purposes is an important step. Furthermore, the regulation of the trade of seed mixtures in Brazil is currently restrictive and requires a revision of norms to facilitate their use, as the case in the European Union. The mixtures directly harvested from remnants are promising to promote restoration, especially of grassy ecosystems. Another aspect is the establishment of Seed Transfer Zones (STZs) to promote the use of locally adapted ecotypes and to ensure the conservation of genetic diversity in restoration. Our study indicates how examples from other countries and the SER guidelines can guide advances in Brazilian legislation and streamline the development of a seed supply chain for ecological restoration.
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spelling doaj-art-09dee558c0a0490d8a1237f9289adb7b2025-08-20T01:54:45ZengElsevierPerspectives in Ecology and Conservation2530-06442024-07-0122322423110.1016/j.pecon.2024.08.002How can Brazilian legislation on native seeds advance based on good practices of restoration in other countries?Rodrigo Dutra-Silva0Gerhard E. Overbeck1Sandra C. Müller2Instituto Brasileiro do Meio Ambiente e dos Recursos Naturais Renováveis (IBAMA), Porto Alegre, RS, 90.050-250, Brazil; Graduate Program in Ecology, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, 91501-970, Brazil; Corresponding author.Department of Botany, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, 91501-970, BrazilDepartment of Ecology, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, 91501-970, BrazilIn the decade of global ecological restoration efforts, Brazil intends to restore 12 million hectares of degraded areas. This will require an ample offer of seeds of native species, unavailable on the current market, which is partly due to inadequate legislation. We reviewed the literature on native seed production and the specific legislation in Brazil, and compared with rules of other countries to identify good examples to be followed. We first verified a lack of regulation concerning the seed collection in natural environments in Brazil, which contrasts with the Society of Ecological Restoration (SER) recommendations. Best practices for seed collection should be developed by environmental agencies. Second, the scarcity of accredited laboratories for native seed quality analysis is a limitation in Brazil. The development of strategies for streamlined accreditation that align with SER's quality standards for native seeds meant for restoration purposes is an important step. Furthermore, the regulation of the trade of seed mixtures in Brazil is currently restrictive and requires a revision of norms to facilitate their use, as the case in the European Union. The mixtures directly harvested from remnants are promising to promote restoration, especially of grassy ecosystems. Another aspect is the establishment of Seed Transfer Zones (STZs) to promote the use of locally adapted ecotypes and to ensure the conservation of genetic diversity in restoration. Our study indicates how examples from other countries and the SER guidelines can guide advances in Brazilian legislation and streamline the development of a seed supply chain for ecological restoration.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2530064424000403Seed collectionSeed mixturesNative seed productionSeed transfer zones
spellingShingle Rodrigo Dutra-Silva
Gerhard E. Overbeck
Sandra C. Müller
How can Brazilian legislation on native seeds advance based on good practices of restoration in other countries?
Perspectives in Ecology and Conservation
Seed collection
Seed mixtures
Native seed production
Seed transfer zones
title How can Brazilian legislation on native seeds advance based on good practices of restoration in other countries?
title_full How can Brazilian legislation on native seeds advance based on good practices of restoration in other countries?
title_fullStr How can Brazilian legislation on native seeds advance based on good practices of restoration in other countries?
title_full_unstemmed How can Brazilian legislation on native seeds advance based on good practices of restoration in other countries?
title_short How can Brazilian legislation on native seeds advance based on good practices of restoration in other countries?
title_sort how can brazilian legislation on native seeds advance based on good practices of restoration in other countries
topic Seed collection
Seed mixtures
Native seed production
Seed transfer zones
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2530064424000403
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AT gerhardeoverbeck howcanbrazilianlegislationonnativeseedsadvancebasedongoodpracticesofrestorationinothercountries
AT sandracmuller howcanbrazilianlegislationonnativeseedsadvancebasedongoodpracticesofrestorationinothercountries