Terraformation awarded $200,000 grant for native seed bank and collection on Lānaʻi

Terraformation, a native forest restoration company dedicated to addressing climate change, has received a $200,000 grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.

The funding will be used to collaborate with Pūlama Lānaʻi on a one-year project to establish a native seed bank and collection program on Lānaʻi. Terraformation’s Internal Forestry Operations team, known as Terraformation Hawaiʻi, will implement the project.

An on-the-ground team of experts will work in seed banking, nursery management, restoration planting, agroforestry, geographic information systems, infrastructure support, community engagement and business development. Headquartered at the iconic Gateway Center at Hawaiʻi Ocean Science and Technology Park, Terraformation Hawaiʻi operates three restoration sites, two nurseries and a seed bank on Hawaiʻi Island.  

The one-year project will support the collection and storage of native seeds on Lānaʻi to reduce genetic loss, mitigate the effects of climate change and weather, highlight the need for seeds to scale restoration and increase community engagement around seed sharing.

“Adequate seed supply is one of the biggest bottlenecks to native forest restoration, and seed collecting and banking is a part of our daily operations,” said Johannes Seidel, director of Hawaiʻi Forestry Operations. “We are honored to support the establishment of a seed stock for the Kuahiwi a Kai Program to support the future conservation and restoration of plant species throughout 20,000 contiguous acres of land on Lānaʻi.”

Terraformation Hawaiʻi will work within the Kuahiwi a Kai: Lānaʻi Watershed Conservation Program (Kuahiwi a Kai Program) for seed collection and preservation. Launched in 2019, the partnership program between the foundation and Pūlama Lānaʻi is dedicated to preserving and enhancing Lānaʻi’s unique natural and cultural resources from mauka to makai (mountain to the ocean), while encouraging community engagement and shared stewardship. 

“We strive to preserve and enhance the island’s diverse species and fragile ecosystems through our core value of E Mālama iā Lānaʻi: To care for Lānaʻi as it cares for us,” said Kurt Matsumoto, Pūlama Lānaʻi president. “Partnering with Terraformation Hawaiʻi on this project will increase capacity for native seed collection and banking here on Lānaʻi, and strengthen community involvement in that work.”

For more information on Terraformation Hawaiʻi and ongoing conservation efforts, visit www.terraformation.com/hawaii. For additional information on Kuahiwi a Kai: Lānaʻi Watershed Conservation Program information, visit the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation website.