Field Manual Decentralised Procurement of Tree Seed

Abstract

In many tropical and subtropical countries, deforestation continues at an alarming rate. Deforestation has serious consequences for the subsequent procurement (collection) of seed for afforestation and reforestation; in many cases, it also results in loss and deterioration of valuable gene resources. Lack of seed availability is a serious impediment to reforestation and provision of high quality seed for planting is a frequent problem in developing countries. In some cases, availability of seed for a whole species may be inadequate; in others, it may be difficult to procure the types of seed that have proven to be best adapted to the environmental conditions in the introducing countries. In order to resolve this problem, procurement of high quality seed has to be intensified, with a renewed focus on meeting seed demand at the local level through decentralised tree seed procurement. The Department of Geosciences and Management of Natural Resources (IGN) under University of Copenhagen (UCPH) prepared this manual as part of a research project on decentralised tree seed supply systems in South East Sulawesi, Indonesia. Both the project and the manual were undertaken in close collaboration with World Agroforestry Center (ICRAF) in Bogor, Indonesian NGO Operasi Wallacea Terpadu Foundation (OWT), and the regional tree seed centre (BPTH) in Makassar