A promising alternative to monoculture crops
The large-scale production of a few monoculture crops dominates mainstream agriculture. While this approach has boosted yields, it poses serious risks to long-term food security and drives significant environmental damage. Many of these crops are grown far from their regions of origin, in climates where they face pests and diseases for which they have little natural resistance. To maintain production, farming systems often reshape the environment to suit the crop through vegetation clearing, drainage, irrigation, tilling, and heavy use of fertilisers, pesticides, and herbicides.
A promising alternative lies in diversifying monoculture systems with food plants native to each region. Native species carry the advantage of evolutionary adaptation to local conditions, which reduces reliance on environmental modification and external inputs. In Australia, traditional knowledge reflects a rich history of native food use, yet the commercial production of these crops remains marginal compared with staples such as wheat, barley, and sugarcane. Mapping which native species can thrive in different regions is an important first step toward building a viable native food industry and providing farmers with new opportunities to diversify their production. In addition to providing economic and cultural benefits, these alternative crops can also help restore and rehabilitate degraded rural land.
Restoration has long been viewed through an ecological lens—replanting trees, reviving soil health, and repairing waterways. Yet, the most resilient ecosystems are those where people and nature thrive together. Planting native harvestable resources offers an opportunity to maintain rural production and outputs while enhancing biodiversity, strengthening community connections to land and caring for Country.
What Are Native Harvestable Resources?
Native harvestable resources are plants that occur naturally in a region, ecosystem, or habitat without human introduction and that were traditionally used for food, medicine, fibre, tools or cultural practice. In Australia’s rainforests, these might include bush foods such as Davidson’s plum, native ginger, or riberries; medicinal plants like tea tree and sandalwood; and weaving or fibre plants essential for cultural expression. Unlike monoculture crops, these resources are part of the living fabric of rainforest ecosystems, supporting wildlife while also meeting human needs.
Why Integrate Them Into Restoration?
1. Healing Country and Culture
Restoring rainforest ecosystems is not only about trees—it is also about honouring the deep cultural relationships First Nations peoples have with land and plants. By planting native harvestable resources alongside canopy trees, restoration projects can support the continuation of traditional practices, strengthen cultural knowledge, and embed Indigenous values of stewardship.
2. Enhancing Biodiversity
Many harvestable species are keystone plants, attracting pollinators, feeding birds, and providing habitat for insects. Their inclusion increases ecological complexity, helping restored areas become more resilient to pests, fire, and climate pressures.
3. Sustainable Livelihoods
Communities benefit when restoration also creates opportunities for ethical harvesting and enterprise. Bush food markets, natural medicine, and cultural tourism are growing sectors in Australia. Embedding these plants into landscapes ensures that conservation efforts can also generate social and economic returns.
4. Deepening Community Engagement
Donors and volunteers often want to know their support has a lasting impact. Seeing a rainforest project that not only locks away carbon and restores habitat but also produces food and medicine connects people to a broader story—one of regeneration that sustains both people and planet.
From Planting Trees to Planting Futures
Through its Rainforest Rangers Program, Gondwana Rainforest Trust has already committed to large-scale restoration goals—such as establishing one million rainforest trees by 2027. By weaving native harvestable resources into this work, projects can expand their impact: growing biodiversity, supporting Indigenous partnerships, and creating opportunities for sustainable enterprise.
Restoration becomes more than ecological repair; it becomes a form of healing Country—a process where landscapes, cultures, and communities recover together.