Ecological restoration is a critical activity for reversing biodiversity loss, increasing the provision of ecosystem services and contributing to sustainable livelihoods. What makes restoration uniquely valuable is its inherent capacity to provide people with the opportunity to both repair ecological damage while improving the human condition. By sustaining and enhancing the provisioning, regulating and cultural services provided by ecosystems, ecological restoration holds significant potential for increasing economic benefits, strengthening communities and protecting and enhancing biodiversity values. Here I propose the concept of innovation ecology' - the integration of science-based solutions through innovation in a key foundation of plant-based restoration: seed. At scale, effective and proven use of native seed represents a key constraint in the achievement of global restoration targets at a scale that delivers landscape benefits. What is missing from at-scale restoration capability is the development of an effective chain of seed use'. Importantly, restoration solutions must shift from species to being innovation-specific to restore biodiversity and repatriate landscape functionality at the scale and pace to deliver national benefits. Current leading practice achieves small returns on investment, with 96 per cent of native seed failing to yield a restoration outcome in Australian restoration systems. For biodiverse regions, this can lead to less than ten per cent of landscape biodiversity richness when benchmarked to comparable native ecosystems, with demands for wild seed outstripping supply by up to tenfold. I will present a concept for developing precision capabilities in seed use based on science-led innovation for achieving cost effective ecological repair at a scale that matters while delivering nationally significant environmental benefits for industry and community.*This is an abstract only. No full paper is available for this abstract.*CITATION:Dixon, K, 2014. Thresholds in biodiverse restoration, in Proceedings Life-of-Mine 2014 , pp 17-18 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).