Human culture is a constantly shifting, evolving and organic body of ideas and behaviors around which societies organize interactions and exchanges. Language, art, food, recreation and means of production are among the elements of our lives that are in a continuous state of flux. In many ways, human society could be considered fickle and motive-driven, …
Author Archives: ecosocialdesign
Opportunities in connectivity
Connectivity is simply defined as the state of being connected, and these days we often think about it in terms of information and communication. In conservation biology, connectivity is thought of as the ability for the organic and non-organic features of an ecosystem to be linked from one location to another. Obvious examples are wildlife …
Capitalist conundrum.
Can free markets safely manage and regulate our environment and natural resources? As a society we are pretty solidly sold on the idea that capitalism is the most – or even the only – viable and fair system under which we can organize our affairs. This idea is defended tooth and nail, and has become …
Dreaming of re Greening
As the natural world collapses around us in an accelerating Armageddon – with a majority of large mammals and insects facing extinction, forests and ocean habitats becoming degraded faster than ever, and the harrowing warming of the planet with nightmare polar ice melts and extreme weather events, it is all too easy to become disheartened, …
Valuing caretakers of natural wealth
Indigenous and local communities that have lived in integrated and sustainable relationships with their biome are intrinsically valuable. In recent decades, large corporations have begun to understand and address the risks of biodiversity loss and habitat destruction. In response, they have begun qualifying and quantifying the economic value of Nature, both in ecosystem services and …
Quantifying the intangible
The problem with subtleties is that most people miss them. Can we accurately measure and place an economic value on ecosystem services, or Nature’s contributions to people? Will it ever be possible for mechanisms like carbon taxing or the United Nations Programme on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (UN-REDD), actually represent the true …
A Day at the Zoo
Yesterday I had the good fortune of being a fly on the wall during the second day of meetings and presentations of a regional committee for International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), held at the Conservation Pavilion of the National Zoo in Washington, DC. The IUCN is the largest umbrella organization for conservation groups …
A question of Integrity
We often use the concept of a “holistic” vision as a counterpoint to the rather more reductionist approach to conducting human business that has often been the norm throughout modern history. There seems to be an ideological counterpoint between placing value on specialization and expertise in a given field at the expense of a wider …
To preserve Nature, or to persevere in Nature?
The dichotomy between productive and preserved landscapes is false, and leads to negative outcomes in both productivity and conservation. Much ecological philosophy seems to be largely founded on the notion that clear boundaries must exist between territory dedicated to human activity, whether it be productive industry or settlements, and territory dedicated to habitat and wildlife …
Continue reading “To preserve Nature, or to persevere in Nature?”
The Four elements: a guide for landscape restoration
Fire, Air, Earth and Water are the traditionally defined elements in many cultures. When approaching a devastated landscape, the condition of the soil will be a primary concern, and very likely the most apparent. The preservation and development of fertile topsoil will be a primary activity and goal. Creation of biomass through the cultivation of …
Continue reading “The Four elements: a guide for landscape restoration”
Integrative Eco Social Design 