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Bioregionalism

April 12, 2024

Bioregionalism is a philosophy that suggests that political, cultural, and economic systems are more sustainable and just if they are organized around naturally defined areas called bioregions, similar to ecoregions. Bioregions are defined through physical and environmental features, including watershed boundaries and soil and terrain characteristics. Bioregionalism stresses that the determination of a bioregion is also a cultural phenomenon, and emphasizes local populations, knowledge, and solutions.[1][example needed]

One scheme of potential North American bioregions. The band of colour represent transitional biotones.

Bioregionalism asserts "that a bioregion's environmental components (geography, climate, plant life, animal life, etc.) directly influence ways for human communities to act and interact with each other which are, in turn, optimal for those communities to thrive in their environment. As such, those ways to thrive in their totality—be they economic, cultural, spiritual, or political—will be distinctive in some capacity as being a product of their bioregional environment."[2]

Bioregionalism is a concept that goes beyond national boundaries—an example is the concept of Cascadia, a region that is sometimes considered to consist of most of Oregon and Washington, the Alaska Panhandle, the far north of California and the West Coast of Canada, sometimes also including some or all of Idaho and western Montana.[3] Another example of a bioregion, which does not cross national boundaries, but does overlap state lines, is the Ozarks, a bioregion also referred to as the Ozarks Plateau, which consists of southern Missouri, northwest Arkansas, the northeast corner of Oklahoma, southeast corner of Kansas.[4]

Bioregions are not synonymous with ecoregions as defined by bodies such as the World Wildlife Fund or the Commission for Environmental Cooperation; the latter are scientifically based and focused on wildlife and vegetation. Bioregions, by contrast are human regions, informed by nature but with a social and political element. In this way bioregionalism is simply political localism with an ecological foundation.

Overview edit

The term was coined by Allen Van Newkirk, founder of the Institute for Bioregional Research, in 1975,[5] given currency by Peter Berg and Raymond F. Dasmann in the early 1970s,[6] and has been advocated by writers such as David Haenke[7] and Kirkpatrick Sale.[8]

The bioregionalist perspective opposes a homogeneous economy and consumer culture with its lack of stewardship towards the environment. This perspective seeks to:

  • Ensure that political boundaries match ecological boundaries.[9]
  • Highlight the unique ecology of the bioregion.
  • Encourage consumption of local foods where possible.
  • Encourage the use of local materials where possible.
  • Encourage the cultivation of native plants of the region.
  • Encourage sustainability in harmony with the bioregion.[10]

Bioregional mapping is a powerful tool to increase understanding, change the story and influence policy. A good bioregional map shows layers of geology, flora, fauna, and inhabitation over time. All the interdisciplinary content that is integrated in this kind of map makes it a great communication tool to illustrate an ecological approach. One of the best examples of a richly communicative bioregional map is David McClosky's new map of Cascadia.

Some thinkers disagree that deep ecology thinking leads to bioregionalism[11] or that bioregionalism is a practicable way of organising human society.[12]

Relationship to environmentalism edit

Bioregionalism, while akin to modern environmentalism in certain aspects, such as a desire to live in harmony with nature, differs in certain ways from the 20th century movement.[13]

According to Peter Berg, bioregionalism is proactive, and is based on forming a harmony between human culture and the natural environment, rather than being protest-based like the original environmental movement. Also, modern environmentalists saw human industry in and of itself an enemy of environmental stability, viewing nature as a victim needing to be saved; bioregionalists see humanity and its culture as a part of nature, focusing on building a positive, sustainable relationship with both the sociological and ecological environments, rather than a focus on completely preserving and segregating the wilderness from the world of humanity.[13]

In this way the sentiments of Bioregionalism echo those of Classical Environmentalism, and early environmentalists such as Henry David Thoreau are sometimes viewed as predecessors of the Bioregionalist movement.

In politics edit

North American Bioregional Assemblies have been meeting at bi-annual gatherings of bioregionalists throughout North America since 1984 and have given rise to national level Green Parties. The tenets of bioregionalism are often used by green movements, which oppose political organizations whose boundaries conform to existing electoral districts. This problem is perceived to result in elected representatives voting in accordance with their constituents, some of whom may live outside a defined bioregion, and may run counter to the well-being of the bioregion.

At the local level, several bioregions have congresses that meet regularly. For instance, the Ozark Plateau bioregion hosts a yearly Ozark Area Community Congress, better known as OACC, which has been meeting every year since 1980,[14] most often on the first weekend in October. The Kansas Area Watershed, "KAW" was founded in 1982 and has been meeting regularly since that time.[15] KAW holds a yearly meeting, usually in the spring.

The government of the Canadian province of Alberta created the "land-use framework regions" in 2007 roughly corresponding to each major river basin within the province. This is supported by local initiatives such as the Beaver Hills Initiative to preserve an ecoregion which encompasses Elk Island National Park and the surrounding area.[16]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ Alexander, Don (1996). . Trumpeter v13.3. Archived from the original on November 5, 2018.
  2. ^ M., Ryan (November 15, 2015). "Bioregionalism: Place Shapes Identity". Towards Cascadia. Retrieved March 5, 2017.
  3. ^ . Cascadia Prospectus. February 12, 2010. Archived from the original on March 12, 2012. Retrieved November 8, 2012.
  4. ^ "About OACC Ozark Area Community Congress". OACC Ozark Area Community Congress. Retrieved December 30, 2011.
  5. ^ McGinnis, Michael Vincent (1999). Bioregionalism. London and New York: Routledge. p. 22. ISBN 041515444-8.
  6. ^ Berg, Peter; Dasmann, Raymond (1977). "Reinhabiting California". The Ecologist. 7 (10).
  7. ^ Mongillo, John F.; Booth, Bibi (2001). Environmental Activists. Bloomsbury Academic. ISBN 9780313308840 – via Google Books.
  8. ^ Anderson, Walter Truett. There's no going back to nature, Mother Jones (September/October 1996)
  9. ^ Davidson, S. (2007) "The Troubled Marriage of Deep Ecology and Bioregionalism," Environmental Values, vol. 16(3): 313-332
  10. ^ Bastedo, Jamie. Shield Country: The Life and Times of the Oldest Piece of the Planet, Red Deer Press, 1994. ISBN 0-88995-191-8
  11. ^ Davidson, Stewart (2007). "The Troubled Marriage of Deep Ecology and Bioregionalism". Environmental Values. 16 (3). White Horse Press: 313–332. doi:10.3197/096327107X228373. JSTOR 30302156. S2CID 143472866.
  12. ^ Brennan, Andrew, (1998) Bioregionalism- a Misplaced Project? Worldviews: Global Religions, Culture, and Ecology Volume 2: Issue 3
  13. ^ a b "Peter Berg of Planet Drum". Sustainable-city.org. 1998-02-12. Retrieved 2012-11-08.
  14. ^ "About OACC Ozark Area Community Congress". OACC Ozark Area Community Congress. Retrieved February 1, 2013.
  15. ^ "Kansas Area Watershed Council History". March 8, 2009. Retrieved February 1, 2013.
  16. ^ "Home | Beaver Hills Initiative". www.beaverhills.ca. Retrieved 2017-02-21.

Further reading edit

  • Alexander, D. (1990). "Bioregionalism: Science or sensibility?" Environmental Ethics, 12(2), 161-173. DOI:10.5840/enviroethics199012217. Retrieved from: http://hdl.handle.net/10613/2725
  • Mike Carr, Bioregionalism and Civil Society: Democratic Challenges to Corporate Globalism, UBC Press, 2004. ISBN 978-0774809443.
  • Peter Berg, editor. Reinhabiting A Separate Country: A Bioregional Anthology of Northern California. San Francisco: Planet Drum, 1978. ISBN 0-937102-00-8.
  • Peter Berg, Envisioning Sustainability, Subculture Books, 2009. ISBN 978-0-9799194-8-0.
  • Michael McGinnis, editor. Bioregionalism, Routledge, 1998. ISBN 0-415-15445-6.
  • Ryan Moothart. Towards Cascadia. Minneapolis, MN: Mill City Press. ISBN 978-1-63505-158-2.
  • Kirkpatrick Sale, Dwellers in the Land: The Bioregional Vision. Random House, 1985. ISBN 0-8203-2205-9 (University of Georgia Press, 2000).
  • Gary Snyder. A Place in Space: Ethics, Aesthetics, and Watersheds. Counterpoint, 1995. ISBN 1-887178-27-9
  • Robert Thayer. LifePlace: Bioregional Thought and Practice, University of California Press, 2003. ISBN 0-520-23628-9
  • Emanuele Guerrieri Ciaceri. Bioregionalismo. La visione locale di un mondo globale. Argo Edizioni, Italia 2006. ISBN 978-88-88659-19-0
  • Doug Aberley, editor. Boundaries of Home: Mapping for Local Empowerment. New Society Publishers, 1998. ISBN 978-0-86571-272-0

External links edit

  • Free Cascadia.org, the website belonging to Alexander Baretich, designer of the Cascadian flag, and advocate of Bioregionalism.
  • Encyclopedia of Earth: Ecoregion
  • Ozark Area Community Congress
  • website.
  • Putah-Cache Bioregion Project 2006-07-12 at the Wayback Machine - interdisciplinary research and educational project at UC Davis
  • Bioregionalism at Columbia Encyclopedia, 2020

April 12, 2024
bioregionalism, examples, perspective, this, article, deal, primarily, with, north, america, represent, worldwide, view, subject, improve, this, article, discuss, issue, talk, page, create, article, appropriate, 2021, learn, when, remove, this, template, messa. The examples and perspective in this article deal primarily with North America and do not represent a worldwide view of the subject You may improve this article discuss the issue on the talk page or create a new article as appropriate May 2021 Learn how and when to remove this template message Bioregionalism is a philosophy that suggests that political cultural and economic systems are more sustainable and just if they are organized around naturally defined areas called bioregions similar to ecoregions Bioregions are defined through physical and environmental features including watershed boundaries and soil and terrain characteristics Bioregionalism stresses that the determination of a bioregion is also a cultural phenomenon and emphasizes local populations knowledge and solutions 1 example needed One scheme of potential North American bioregions The band of colour represent transitional biotones Bioregionalism asserts that a bioregion s environmental components geography climate plant life animal life etc directly influence ways for human communities to act and interact with each other which are in turn optimal for those communities to thrive in their environment As such those ways to thrive in their totality be they economic cultural spiritual or political will be distinctive in some capacity as being a product of their bioregional environment 2 Bioregionalism is a concept that goes beyond national boundaries an example is the concept of Cascadia a region that is sometimes considered to consist of most of Oregon and Washington the Alaska Panhandle the far north of California and the West Coast of Canada sometimes also including some or all of Idaho and western Montana 3 Another example of a bioregion which does not cross national boundaries but does overlap state lines is the Ozarks a bioregion also referred to as the Ozarks Plateau which consists of southern Missouri northwest Arkansas the northeast corner of Oklahoma southeast corner of Kansas 4 Bioregions are not synonymous with ecoregions as defined by bodies such as the World Wildlife Fund or the Commission for Environmental Cooperation the latter are scientifically based and focused on wildlife and vegetation Bioregions by contrast are human regions informed by nature but with a social and political element In this way bioregionalism is simply political localism with an ecological foundation Contents 1 Overview 2 Relationship to environmentalism 3 In politics 4 See also 5 References 6 Further reading 7 External linksOverview editThe term was coined by Allen Van Newkirk founder of the Institute for Bioregional Research in 1975 5 given currency by Peter Berg and Raymond F Dasmann in the early 1970s 6 and has been advocated by writers such as David Haenke 7 and Kirkpatrick Sale 8 The bioregionalist perspective opposes a homogeneous economy and consumer culture with its lack of stewardship towards the environment This perspective seeks to Ensure that political boundaries match ecological boundaries 9 Highlight the unique ecology of the bioregion Encourage consumption of local foods where possible Encourage the use of local materials where possible Encourage the cultivation of native plants of the region Encourage sustainability in harmony with the bioregion 10 Bioregional mapping is a powerful tool to increase understanding change the story and influence policy A good bioregional map shows layers of geology flora fauna and inhabitation over time All the interdisciplinary content that is integrated in this kind of map makes it a great communication tool to illustrate an ecological approach One of the best examples of a richly communicative bioregional map is David McClosky s new map of Cascadia Some thinkers disagree that deep ecology thinking leads to bioregionalism 11 or that bioregionalism is a practicable way of organising human society 12 Relationship to environmentalism editBioregionalism while akin to modern environmentalism in certain aspects such as a desire to live in harmony with nature differs in certain ways from the 20th century movement 13 According to Peter Berg bioregionalism is proactive and is based on forming a harmony between human culture and the natural environment rather than being protest based like the original environmental movement Also modern environmentalists saw human industry in and of itself an enemy of environmental stability viewing nature as a victim needing to be saved bioregionalists see humanity and its culture as a part of nature focusing on building a positive sustainable relationship with both the sociological and ecological environments rather than a focus on completely preserving and segregating the wilderness from the world of humanity 13 In this way the sentiments of Bioregionalism echo those of Classical Environmentalism and early environmentalists such as Henry David Thoreau are sometimes viewed as predecessors of the Bioregionalist movement In politics editNorth American Bioregional Assemblies have been meeting at bi annual gatherings of bioregionalists throughout North America since 1984 and have given rise to national level Green Parties The tenets of bioregionalism are often used by green movements which oppose political organizations whose boundaries conform to existing electoral districts This problem is perceived to result in elected representatives voting in accordance with their constituents some of whom may live outside a defined bioregion and may run counter to the well being of the bioregion At the local level several bioregions have congresses that meet regularly For instance the Ozark Plateau bioregion hosts a yearly Ozark Area Community Congress better known as OACC which has been meeting every year since 1980 14 most often on the first weekend in October The Kansas Area Watershed KAW was founded in 1982 and has been meeting regularly since that time 15 KAW holds a yearly meeting usually in the spring The government of the Canadian province of Alberta created the land use framework regions in 2007 roughly corresponding to each major river basin within the province This is supported by local initiatives such as the Beaver Hills Initiative to preserve an ecoregion which encompasses Elk Island National Park and the surrounding area 16 See also editCascadia independence movement Bioregion proposed country in North AmericaPages displaying short descriptions of redirect targets Distributism Economic theory promoting local control Deep ecology Ecological and environmental philosophy Global Scenario Group International policy development body Ecological footprint Individual s or a group s human demand on nature Elisee Reclus French geographer writer and anarchist Geo fence Virtual perimeter Grassroots democracy Type that favors individual activism Green anarchism Branch of anarchism focused on the environment List of ecoregions Localism politics Political philosophy Permaculture Approach to agriculture and land management Social ecology Bookchin American social theorist 1921 2006 Pages displaying short descriptions of redirect targetsReferences edit Alexander Don 1996 Bioregionalism The Need For a Firmer Theoretical Foundation Trumpeter v13 3 Archived from the original on November 5 2018 M Ryan November 15 2015 Bioregionalism Place Shapes Identity Towards Cascadia Retrieved March 5 2017 Cascadia The New Frontier Cascadia Prospectus February 12 2010 Archived from the original on March 12 2012 Retrieved November 8 2012 About OACC Ozark Area Community Congress OACC Ozark Area Community Congress Retrieved December 30 2011 McGinnis Michael Vincent 1999 Bioregionalism London and New York Routledge p 22 ISBN 041515444 8 Berg Peter Dasmann Raymond 1977 Reinhabiting California The Ecologist 7 10 Mongillo John F Booth Bibi 2001 Environmental Activists Bloomsbury Academic ISBN 9780313308840 via Google Books Anderson Walter Truett There s no going back to nature Mother Jones September October 1996 Davidson S 2007 The Troubled Marriage of Deep Ecology and Bioregionalism Environmental Values vol 16 3 313 332 Bastedo Jamie Shield Country The Life and Times of the Oldest Piece of the Planet Red Deer Press 1994 ISBN 0 88995 191 8 Davidson Stewart 2007 The Troubled Marriage of Deep Ecology and Bioregionalism Environmental Values 16 3 White Horse Press 313 332 doi 10 3197 096327107X228373 JSTOR 30302156 S2CID 143472866 Brennan Andrew 1998 Bioregionalism a Misplaced Project Worldviews Global Religions Culture and Ecology Volume 2 Issue 3 a b Peter Berg of Planet Drum Sustainable city org 1998 02 12 Retrieved 2012 11 08 About OACC Ozark Area Community Congress OACC Ozark Area Community Congress Retrieved February 1 2013 Kansas Area Watershed Council History March 8 2009 Retrieved February 1 2013 Home Beaver Hills Initiative www beaverhills ca Retrieved 2017 02 21 Further reading editAlexander D 1990 Bioregionalism Science or sensibility Environmental Ethics 12 2 161 173 DOI 10 5840 enviroethics199012217 Retrieved from http hdl handle net 10613 2725 Mike Carr Bioregionalism and Civil Society Democratic Challenges to Corporate Globalism UBC Press 2004 ISBN 978 0774809443 Peter Berg editor Reinhabiting A Separate Country A Bioregional Anthology of Northern California San Francisco Planet Drum 1978 ISBN 0 937102 00 8 Peter Berg Envisioning Sustainability Subculture Books 2009 ISBN 978 0 9799194 8 0 Michael McGinnis editor Bioregionalism Routledge 1998 ISBN 0 415 15445 6 Ryan Moothart Towards Cascadia Minneapolis MN Mill City Press ISBN 978 1 63505 158 2 Kirkpatrick Sale Dwellers in the Land The Bioregional Vision Random House 1985 ISBN 0 8203 2205 9 University of Georgia Press 2000 Gary Snyder A Place in Space Ethics Aesthetics and Watersheds Counterpoint 1995 ISBN 1 887178 27 9 Robert Thayer LifePlace Bioregional Thought and Practice University of California Press 2003 ISBN 0 520 23628 9 Emanuele Guerrieri Ciaceri Bioregionalismo La visione locale di un mondo globale Argo Edizioni Italia 2006 ISBN 978 88 88659 19 0 Doug Aberley editor Boundaries of Home Mapping for Local Empowerment New Society Publishers 1998 ISBN 978 0 86571 272 0External links editFree Cascadia org the website belonging to Alexander Baretich designer of the Cascadian flag and advocate of Bioregionalism Encyclopedia of Earth Ecoregion North American Bioregional Congress Ozark Area Community Congress Planet Drum Foundation website Putah Cache Bioregion Project Archived 2006 07 12 at the Wayback Machine interdisciplinary research and educational project at UC Davis Bioregionalism at Columbia Encyclopedia 2020 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Bioregionalism amp oldid 1216357078, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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