The multi-billion dollar investments in forest and landscape restoration (FLR) provide an unparallelled opportunity to restore and simultaneously conserve native, threatened tree species while enhancing ecosystem services and supporting local livelihoods. However, large-scale planting of native tropical tree species for other than purely commercial purposes is a recent phenomenon, and several institutional and technical factors constrain their wider use in FLR programmes. Implementation of restoration programmes is commonly constrained by: 

• Overall lack of native tree seed to meet the targets
• Lack of information about the quality and origin or available seed to support seed selection
• Lack of integration of informal seed suppliers in supply chains
• Lack of information about effective seed sourcing strategies for a changing climate

This regional initiative seeks to facilitate the conservation and use of native tree species in FLR projects by improving the availability of seed and opportunities for local communities and actors to participate in seed production. The initiative is funded by the UK Darwin Initiative from 2022 to 2024.