[permaculture] Conservation Land Trusts & Permaculture; Do they mix?
kevin s
k.skvorak at verizon.net
Wed Jan 3 13:13:47 EST 2007
hi joe and all,
as far as working with existing land trusts go, i believe there is a
great need for creative, and thoughtful easement models that address
these needs. i think this has been somewhat neglected (as of now)
by most folks working in the field, though there are a lot of
easements crafted around language of "sustainable agriculture" which
would often cover much permaculture activity
i would recommend posing your question on one of the land trust listserves:
http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/NACLTNetwork/
http://www.lta.org/resources/listserv.htm
i am sitting here just now working on some bylaws for a new community
land trust we are putting together in NY
we think a clt model, with the 'right' mission, is ideal for securing
landbases for needed permaculture work to happen. there isn't many
out there yet
here is some of our words so far to give you some idea:
Our Community Land Trust is dedicated equally to the principles of
sustainable design, equitable human relationships, and ecological
restoration.
We are sometimes asked the question; "why another land trust when
there are others already established?"
We recognize Conservation Land Trusts do a great service in
protecting land from inappropriate and destructive development
practices. They are successful in their strategies of protecting open
land in the region, most often by effective partnerships with private
owners through tax reductions and other financial incentives. We
support the efforts of conservation organization like this, and they
are badly needed to protect crucial habitat. They do not however
address the fundamentals that create the development pressure on the
land, and that is the potent mix of private, speculative land
ownership, enormous debt, and the global financial markets that are
the engines behind so much destructive development practices.
Community Land Trusts were developed to address the problems left
unanswered by Conservation Land trusts. Community Land Trusts
effectively address the financial pressures that fuel land
speculation, and offer opportunities for those who otherwise couldn't
afford it to have access to homes, and even building personal equity
on community held held. The CLT movement has made important strides
forward in addressing the underlying inequity in land ownership,
often in urban communities with the greatest need for community
controlled affordable housing.
Community held, community controlled land is an ideal sustainable
model for meeting peoples basic needs for secure housing, and access
to the land especially in current times of increased inequity, and
what appears to be long term economic decline.
There are not, however, enough Community Land Trusts taking into
account all of the long term issues of human sustainability facing us
in this unprecedented time of global climate change, an accelerating
ecological crisis, and a high energy society facing energy decline.
We feel that there is a need for a new CLT that specifically
addresses the full range of human and ecological needs that
Permaculture principles and design intend to meet.
we hope to be up and running in the next few months
peace,
kevin
re:
>
>Date: Wed, 03 Jan 2007 10:46:25 -0500
>From: coldestsnow at aol.com
>Subject: [permaculture] Conservation Land Trusts & Permaculture; Do
>
> I wonder if anyone has experience with an existing land trust and
>the implementation of permaculture planning. What, if any, are
>sensitive issues? Are there ways around them?
> Do most trust managers know about permaculture? What is their
>general perception of it?
>
> I would like some input to help local land owners in Massachusetts
>gain some productivity from their "protected" property.
>
> Thank You All, it is a pleasure to be a part of this group.
>
> Joe
>
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