Who We Are

DNS supports mine site rehabilitation programs with reliable supply, large species range, and technical advice. Our Quality Assurance system covers all aspects of the supply process including harvest, processing and storage. We have a passion for helping create better habitats for native fauna and a better environment for future generations.

1

QUALITY NATIVE SEED

2

ENHANCE DIRECT SEEDING SUCCESS FOR MINES

3

LARGE AND SUSTAINABLE SEED SOURCE

Our Capabilities

Diversity Native Seeds has been in operation for over 20 years. We have bases in the Central West and Hunter Valley regions in NSW with about 15 full time staff. We store between 20-30 tonnes of seed at any given time, making us the largest supplier in the industry. This large capacity allows us to maintain supply of diverse mixes during periods of low supply such as droughts.

Our seed comes from a range of sustainable sources throughout NSW and Queensland, and our harvest strategies follow best-practice environmental methodology.

Our large scale and constant development of seed harvest and handling techniques means that prices are always competitive. Our capacities/infrastructure include:

  • Seed drying: over 4000m2 polytunnel space.
  • Seed storage: over 20 insulated shipping containers including 3 refrigerated containers for long term storage.
  • Seed processing: extensive processing facilities and machinery handling over thirty tonnes of raw material per annum.
  • Seed Mixing: we use a repurposed cement mixer to ensure seed is thoroughly mixed and integrated with bulking agent and other elements such as cover crop. All of our seed is processed so that once mixed, the final product retains sufficient flowability to allow spreading on site through standard equipment such as fertiliser spreaders.
  • Seed Delivery: we can delivery direct to clients with our own truck or use nominated third party freight services

Founder

Geoff Williams, owner of Diversity Native Seeds, has broad experience and technical expertise in native seed collection and in the design and implementation of broadscale landscapes for ecological and productive values. He has been collecting native seeds on a commercial basis for over twenty years. With a Master of Applied Science Degree in Horticulture, he also has an understanding of the scientific principles underlying the use and establishment of native seeds and vegetation. He has specific research experience in native seed genetics, having undertaken a research project investigating provenance variation in drought tolerance in selected native trees.

Track Record & Results

Diversity Native Seeds has been the mainstay of native seed supply in NSW and Qld for over ten years. Our seed has been used to create over 20,000Ha of quality native mine rehabilitation accross more than thirty mines, supplying all major companies including Glencore, Yancoal, Whitehaven, BHP/BMA, Peabody and Anglo among others.

We have maintained quantity, range and quality for all of our customers and have made many breakthroughs that have helped mine enviros achieve real improvements in rehab quality on the ground.

Our emphasis on diversity and scale has overcome many of the supply bottlenecks which previously existed in the industry. Customers can rely on us to supply diverse mixes with between 40 and 80 species that satisfy or exceed regulatory standards. We have worked with customers to develop long term contract arrangements that are now standard in the industry, enabling us to give mines security of supply.

The gallery below shows a sample of our projects in NSW and Qld. Clearly visible in the images is the range of understorey grasses, forbs, shrubs and subshrubs in balance with the tree canopy layer. This is in contrast to many traditional native seed mixes in the mining industry that focused mainly on a few tree and shrub species at high sowing rates, resulting in a overly-dense, low-diversity rehab.