Collecting sustainably and ethically
These guidelines will help protect the source area when seeds and other material, (such as underground stems, fern spores and cuttings) are being collected:
- avoid unnecessary damage (e.g. trampling of understorey plants)
- ensure nesting sites, tree hollows or other animal habitats are not disturbed
- do not remove more seed or plant material than is required
- do not remove more than 20 percent of the fruit from any one plant
- do not take more than 10 percent of plant material from any one plant (larger seed quantities should be obtained by collecting from more plants)
- avoid bringing weeds into the collection site by cleaning shoes, collection equipment, etc
- take particular care when collecting from rare or threatened plants
- if collecting may put a local population of a species further at risk, it may be better not to collect at all.
