Australia's Native Plant Nurseries
Repairing Australia's Landscape Resilience
- YEAR: 2020
- STATE: National
- FOCUS AREAS: Healing our Land
- YEAR: 2020
- STATE: National
- FOCUS AREAS: Healing our Land
During the Black Summer Bushfires in Australia, a devastating 24 million hectares of land were burned and nearly 3 billion animals lost their homes. Australia’s landscapes still need our help to recover, starting with planting the right plants—our native plants.
By replanting native plant species, we give our ecosystems the best chance to become strong and healthy again. Native plants protect the land from further erosion, provide food and shelter for native wildlife, and make the land stronger in the face of future disasters resulting from climate change.
But here’s a problem: we don’t have enough native seeds to restore and strengthen our land.
Why do we urgently need native seeds?
Australia is home to thousands of native plants that exist nowhere else on Earth. But only about 10% of these native plants are available as seeds for restoration work. Without sufficient diversity of native seeds, building healthy, biodiverse ecosystems that can withstand fires, floods, droughts, and other challenges is much harder.
To build resilience, we need biodiverse plantings—which means planting many types of plants rather than just one.
How does the Landscape Resilience Program work?
To tackle this urgent issue, the Foundation for National Parks & Wildlife (FNPW) started the Landscape Resilience Program. This program brings communities together to collect and grow native seeds, protect them in seed banks, propagate plants and plant them in areas that need them most. Here’s how it works:
Collecting Native Seeds. Volunteers across Australia gather seeds from native plants in local ecosystems. This is essential for keeping our plant life diverse and healthy.
Growing Native Plants in Community Nurseries. We partner with over 30 community-led nurseries to grow and store these native seeds. Many of our native plants are now rare or threatened, so storing their seeds also protects them from extinction.
Restoring Our Landscapes. Once grown, these native plants are planted in degraded ecosystems. This diversity of plants forms resilient habitats where wildlife can thrive.
Our work focuses on key biodiversity hotspots (areas with high levels of native species at risk of extinction), including two UNESCO World Heritage sites: the Gondwana Rainforests of Australia and the Greater Blue Mountains Area in New South Wales.
How can we build a more resilient Australia?
Our Landscape Resilience Program doesn’t just bring back plants—it strengthens entire ecosystems. By planting a diverse mix of native species, we’re giving our landscapes the best chance to recover and face increasing threats such as extreme weather events, habitat destruction, invasive species, and dwindling populations of animals that help pollinate and disperse seeds. The more diverse our plant life, the more resilient our environment becomes.
Our native plant nurseries work closely with local communities, Landcare groups, First Nations partners, and landholders. These partnerships help us restore the land based on local knowledge, ensuring that every effort is as effective as possible.
See the Australian Native Plant Nurseries we partner with in New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and ACT here:
What is the Impact of the Landscape Resilience Program?
Thanks to the dedication of thousands of volunteers and supporters like you, we have already achieved:
1 million trees planted across four states.
296 plant species grown for restoration.
25+ threatened wildlife species supported.
But there’s still so much more to do. By 2030, we aim to plant 8 million trees and establish 70 more nurseries.
Why we need your help
The health of our environment affects us all. As our ecosystems grow weaker, we face a greater risk from natural disasters, climate change, and biodiversity loss. Repairing Australia’s landscapes with the right native plants is one of the most powerful ways to protect our future. When you support the Landscape Resilience Program, you’re helping make our landscapes stronger, healthier, and more prepared for whatever challenges lie ahead.
Every dollar you donate goes directly to community nurseries, seed collection, and replanting efforts across Australia. By supporting us in this mission, you’re bringing life back to our land.
