Planting Seeds of Change: How the OECC Enables Climate-Ready Revegetation

Revegetation practitioners need to adapt to climate change by changing seed-sourcing practices, but aren't set up to do so. These practitioners come from different backgrounds, including Landcare volunteers, nursery managers, scientists and policymakers. And have different levels of climate and digital literacy. Despite their passion for the local environment, they face obstacles, such as insufficient awareness of why action is needed, inaccessible data to help them take action, and tools geared towards technical experts. Our challenge: how can the OECC empower revegetation practitioners to incorporate climate-adjusted seeds into their projects, and ensure the survival of our unique ecosystems and species?

Collaborating with government, business and revegetation practitioners, we co-designed a solution that helps novices and experts alike make sense of the available information and critically — take action. The OECC's Climate Provenance Tool is designed to support time-poor practitioners in understanding climate-adjusted seed sourcing and how it works, translate complex data sources and provide practical guidance. By empowering practitioners to take evidence-based, actionable steps, we can help protect the habitats of Australia’s threatened species like koalas and ensure the resilience of our ecosystems for generations to come.

Our key insight was to democratise access to information and tools for revegetation practitioners of all backgrounds. By involving diverse stakeholders from Landcare, local councils, not-for-profit, and industry from the outset, we ensured the tool would be useful, usable, and therefore used from Day 1. The co-design process aligned partners from different sectors to create a shared sense of responsibility in tackling climate change. For practitioners, better seed-sourcing practices mean increased biodiversity and success in land rehabilitation. For government, the tool provides a more effective method of allocating funds for environmental projects, resulting in a better, sustainable future for all.

We designed and prototyped an experience that educated practitioners about climate-adapted seed sourcing at the start of their journey - why it's important and how it will impact species survival. Pairing back data entry to just two items allowed users to quickly get a recommendation without completing a lengthy form or creating an account - giving them insights that can help now. Progressive disclosure meant we could surface information to users wanting more detail without overwhelming those new to the tool. One project coordinator shared, “the challenge is crunching the numbers and working out what we can do. I’m just excited to see that it’s being developed!" Finally, the tool needed to fit into existing workflows to minimise barriers to use. Practitioners can import their data, extract map files to view in any industry-standard software, or export the report to include as part of a grant application, contractor brief or nursery order. “The tool is simple and practical, allowing curious practitioners to dive deeper into the science if they want, building trust in our recommendations. It'll help beginners and experts feel confident to take action by planting trees that are adapted to our future climate." - Dr Michelle Dawson, Senior Project Officer OECC