Gebietseigenes Saatgut – Chance oder Risiko für den Biodiversitätsschutz?

Native seeds – opportunity or risk for biodiversity conservation? A thesis paper on the implementation of § 40 BNatSchG According to § 40 BNatSchG, since March 2020 only plants that “have their genetic origin in the area concerned” may be spread in the wild. This article discusses possibilities for implementing this regulation with regard to the use of wild plant seeds (excluding woody plants) with special consideration of faunistic aspects. It emerged from an expert workshop with the aim of initiating a reflective interdisciplinary debate on the consideration of genetic diversity, which sheds light on the implications for nature conservation practice from a holistic perspective. It became clear that existing regulations are based on great uncertainties and entail massive restrictions for the effectiveness of restoration and for the attainability of higher-level nature conservation goals. This applies in particular to the excluded relevance of phytodiversity for the occurrence of numerous animal species and, thus, for species-rich ecological communities that are as complete as possible and the restoration of biotopes. Possible solutions are derived from the analysis, which should be urgently discussed in order to establish goal-oriented regulations for nature conservation practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]