Author: Cecilia Vides, Lena Porzelt

“If we want to restore resilient and biodiverse landscapes, we need sufficient native high-quality seed material with a certain degree of genetic diversity”, says Miguel Gallardo, General Director of Ecosystems and Biodiversity of the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources of El Salvador (MARN) while he stands in the bright August sun in front of El Salvador’s new Forest Seed Bank that was inaugurated a few minutes ago.

The Forest Seed Bank was renovated and newly equipped to double the storage capacity to 2,000 kg of forest seeds and provide more than 100,000 plants per year, necessary to fulfil the country's restoration commitments.

However, this Seed Bank is just one puzzle piece in a whole network to ensure the appropriate collection, processing, handling, and storage of forest material. This network was jointly designed by the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock of El Salvador (MAG) and the MARN and includes not only the Seed Bank but also 4 newly built Temporary Collection Centers and a Molecular Biology Laboratory.

The Temporary Collection Centers are strategically placed in 4 conservation areas that are within the National System of Natural Protected Areas of El Salvador. This allows the preservation and use of high-quality seeds from native and endangered species, of which many can only be found inside protected areas. After the collection in the protected areas, they are transported to the Temporary Collection Centers to be prepared for their distribution to nurseries or the Forest Seed Bank. Selected plant material will be sampled by the Molecular Biology Laboratory to develop a detailed record of the genetic resources available in the country. Furthermore, research in the laboratory focuses on the protection of the genetic material of seeds through novel forms of propagation and the generation of varieties.

In long term, El Salvador’s seed network shall become a cornerstone in a regional network. This involves cooperation with other seed banks in the region, mainly in Guatemala and the Dominican Republic, with the final goal of reactivating the Central American Seed Bank Network.

The first seeds for this regional integration were sown when forestry experts from El Salvador and the Dominican Republic met in February 2022 in Santo Domingo to exchange experiences on the operation of public and private seed banks and the reproduction of endangered plants for conservation and research purposes. Six months later, a second meeting was held in Jalapa, Guatemala focused on seed management of pine plantations, seed genetics and developments in Guatemala’s urban forestry project.

The regional initiative has taken its first step for collaboration and exchange to ensure ecosystem restoration in Central America safeguarding genetic diversity and the conservation of endangered species. The next ideas towards a regional seed network include capacity building on forest seed collection for technical staff to strengthen management and conservation for ecological restoration and climate change adaptation, as well as the development of an online course.

This article is originally by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH.

The UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration 2021-2030, led by the United Nations Environment Programme, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and partners, covers terrestrial as well as coastal and marine ecosystems. As a global call to action, it will draw together political support, scientific research and financial muscle to massively scale up restoration. Find out how you can contribute to the UN Decade. Follow #GenerationRestoration.