About Us
Seeding Victoria
Seeding Victoria Inc provides provenance based seed supply for revegetation projects throughout Central, South West and North West Victoria. We are a community not for profit, charitable organisation with a central board and steering committees for each regional seedbank.
Our Board
Seeding Victoria is fortunate to be supported by an enthusiastic and committed Board.
Left to right: Dale Tunstall (President), Georgina Gould-Hardwick (Secretary), Bianca Fammartino, Jackson Cass (Vice President), Helena Lindorff, Greg Belden, Andrew Borg and Lidija Veljanovski.
Seed Services
Seeding Victoria is proud of its position as a nationally recognised leader in the field of provenance based seed supply. The strong quality control and data management procedures together with a program of best practice development ensure that the seed bank is able to deliver quality, appropriately sourced, genetically diverse seed for major projects.
Seeding Victoria services approximately 50% of the state and provides active support throughout the state and southern NSW. Rated highly on our criteria is the development of best practice, ethical sourcing and utilisation of seed and research to improve our knowledge, use and management of seed.
Staff are experienced in all aspects of indigenous seed supply and natural resource management as well as being skilled in financial management. Members of the executive committee are drawn from all sectors of the Natural Resource management field to ensure that the seed bank is actively engaged with the organisations and community groups that it services.
We have developed a wide network of collectors who we have worked with over many years to ensure that seed is collected ethically. This network of collectors extends to cover the entire organisation service area. It is the diversity of this network of collectors, from commercial operators to hobbyists and landcare groups that enables the seed bank to deliver diversity to the seed supply projects which it manages.
The seed bank creates a marketing body for seed collectors, whilst at the same time ensuring that the quality control parameters essential to deliver best practice to end users are maintained.
Mission / vision
Seeding Victoria has grown from the Ballarat Region Seed Bank which was originally established with the mission to ensure that there was supply of provenance based seed for revegetation projects in the Ballarat and surrounding regions. Since then, the organisation has developed ongoing relationships with research organisations to continually update and disseminate our collective knowledge of seed related matters. The seed bank is much more than a seed storage and collection facility. We have the ability to assist in Regional assessment of seed requirements for ongoing projects, including reporting, and the development of expression of interest proposals. We work with landholders and project officers in the development of seed production areas to ensure best practice application in the development and registration of seed production areas. Development of training programs to improve community knowledge in relation to seed supply, collection, provenance, seed production areas, cleaning and general natural resource management issues are a key function of our service delivery.
Statement of Purposes
Seeding Victoria Inc.
- To collect, store and distribute provenance based quality controlled seed for revegetation projects and remnant enhancement throughout Victoria on a not for profit basis and for the protection and enhancement of the environment for the public benefit.
- To provide a range of strategic; educational; and technical supports to the community and the Victorian seed collection, distribution and revegetation sector on a not for profit basis in order to enhance the effectiveness of revegetation projects and remnant enhancement activities in Victoria for the public benefit.
- To develop and implement quality standards for the certification and management of native and indigenous seed across Victoria on a not for profit basis and for the public benefit.
- To undertake activities incidental to the collection and distribution of native and indigenous seed for the protection and enhancement of the natural environment of Victoria on a not for profit basis and for the public benefit.
History
The Ballarat Region Seed Bank (BRSB) was established in 1994 at the Victorian Landcare Centre, Creswick. With its many years of experience in the seed industry the seed bank has consistently demonstrated its ability to deliver appropriately sourced indigenous seed for revegetation works throughout the state.
In February 2009 the organisation changed its name to Seeding Victoria Inc to reflect a changing focus following a merger with the Murray Mallee Seedbank and the Wimmera Region Seedbank.
The seed bank works with seed collectors throughout our service area to ensure that we are able to deliver wholistic seed supply with the best diversity and genetic material for revegetation projects. We also work with other organisations and seed banks to continue growing and enhancing the delivery of provenance based indigenous seed supply across the state.
History of the Murray Mallee Seedbank
The origins of Swan Hill Seedbank can be traced back to the 1994-5 Murray Corridors of Green project. This project was managed by a partnership of NSW and Victorian Landcare Groups, the Field Naturalists group, relevant government departments, Greening Australia and community members – operating as Mid Murray Greening Consortium.
During the ‘Corridors’ project it was clearly identified that to undertake the revegetation proposals, there was a desperate need for the collection, storage and distribution of native seed in the areas being rehabilitated.
Over the next two years, 1996-7, members from MMGC established the Seedbank committee. Critical support was provided by Greening Australia Vic central Victorian representative David Millsom who motivated the committee and generated donations. The major contributions were $2631 from the statewide CWA movement, and $600 from the Landcare Foundation. A 6 metre by 3 metre site office was obtained and installed at Swan Hill’s centre for people with disabilities. Natural Heritage Trust funding was obtained and administered through Greening Australia NSW, and this provided the funds to employ the first paid co-ordinator.
The Seedbank began to supply seed for projects developed by Greening Australia, Rural Land Protection Board, Department of Natural Resources and Environment, Catchment Management Authorities, Landcare Groups, Indigenous Groups and individual landholders. The first major seed orders on a contract basis were generated by North Central CMA for its revegetation work on the Northern plains.
Whilst operational, the Seedbank enjoyed the support from Greening Australia, North Central CMA, Mallee CMA, River Mallee Maintenance, Department of Natural Resources and Environment, Parks Victoria, Mid Murray Landcare Network and other regional Landcare Groups, Murray Human Services, Swan Hill Rural City Council, Bundaberg Rum, Department of Primary Industries, Peter Walsh MLA, Landcare Australia, Green corps, Lake Boga Transport, and Martins Cranes.
History of the Wimmera Region Seedbank
The Wimmera Region Seedbank was an initiative of the Wimmera Catchment Management Authority and Seeding Victoria Inc to create quality controlled catchment wide seed supply for all revegetation works across the Wimmera. The seedbank is now managed by Seeding Victoria. This joint venture will enable seed to be sourced, tested and stored to meet seed needs in future periods when the current climatic conditions often mean that seed is not produced on a regular basis.
