This Spring, Caravel Minerals has teamed up with Wheatbelt Natural Resource Management (WNRM) and local Aboriginal ranger groups to collect native seeds on private farmland across the Caravel Copper Project area – a first for many of the properties.
Thanks to the outstanding winter rains across the Wheatbelt, native plants are bursting with seed. Rather than being limited to public reserves (where seed collection usually happens because access is easier), Caravel has worked closely with landowners to open up remnant vegetation on private holdings. This means we’re gathering seed with the exact local genetics needed to bring back healthy native vegetation in an extensively cleared landscape.
Landowners have welcomed the teams onto their properties, allowing hand-collection of seed from pre-mapped sites using light vehicles and small harvesting tools. No more than 20% of any plant’s seed is taken, so the bush stays strong for the future.
The seed will be cleaned, stored and used for revegetation programs that form part of Caravel’s environmental approvals – helping offset clearing and restore habitat in the Mortlock Avon catchment.
Caravel Minerals Managing Director Don Hyma said the program is about more than just seed.
“It’s early, practical action to rebuild the Wheatbelt’s natural capital using local provenance material, while building relationships with landholders and Traditional Owners,” Don said.
Noongar Boodja Ranger Jermaine Davis added: “The season is one of the best we’ve seen. Having access to private remnants gives us a much bigger gene pool to work with.”.
Collections will run through to the end of January 2026, with plenty of notice and on-site coordination for every farm visit.
A big thank you to all the landowners who’ve said yes – your support is making real environmental positive change possible.
