Webinar: An Assessment of Native Seed Needs and the Capacity for Their Supply

Join the Monarch Joint Venture for our monthly Monarch Conservation Webinar Series presented by Kay Havens, Vice President of Science and Chief Scientist, Chicago Botanic Garden.

A 2023 report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine says the insufficient supply of seeds from native plants is a major barrier to ecological restoration and other revegetation projects across the United States. The report calls for concerted action to build a more robust native seed supply and industry, especially as climate change increases the possibility of extreme weather events and wildfires that often damage natural areas. We will review findings and recommendations from the report, as well as progress that has been made since the report release.

Bio: Kayri Havens holds a B.S. and an M.A. in Botany from Southern Illinois University and a Ph.D. in Biology from Indiana University. She spent three years at Missouri Botanical Garden before joining the Chicago Botanic Garden in 1997. She is currently the Garden’s Negaunee Vice President of Science and Chief Scientist. Her research interests include ex situ conservation, restoration genetics, pollination networks, and invasion biology. She is a member of the BGCI-US board and chairs the Non-federal Cooperators Committee of the Plant Conservation Alliance. She is active in plant conservation advocacy with elected officials, and collaborates with a variety of academic institutions, agencies and stewardship organizations to help improve conservation efforts for plants and plant communities.