Hovells Creek Landcare became involved with the Lachlan Community Seed Collecting Project in 2012.

Using a diverse range of native plant species, the project aimed to reconnect and expand the extent of native vegetation in the Lachlan catchment, which is one of the most cleared and fragmented agricultural regions of Australia. Many plant communities in the Lachlan Catchment, including the Wyangala region, are now listed as Endangered Ecological Communities (EECs) as a result of land clearing.

The project also aimed to engage land managers and community groups to collect local native seed to be used in revegetation projects in their local area on private and public land. Two HCLG members undertook seed collection, storage and propagation training with specialists as part of the project.

The collected seed was grown into tube stock for planting and/or sowing through a direct seeding machine.

A Scientific Licence has allowed Hovells Creek Landcarers to legally collect seed from EECs, both on private and public land, whilst a permit from the former LHPA enables seed collecting on Travelling Stock Routes and Reserves.

The former Lachlan Catchment Management Authority (CMA), now Local Land Services, developed this project under a larger project titled “Community Connections for a Resilient Future”, which was funded in part through the Australian Government’s Biodiversity Fund.