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  • From: Rain Tenaqiya <raincascadia@yahoo.com>
  • To: permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: [permaculture] wild is more important than native
  • Date: Sun, 2 Jan 2005 13:47:32 -0800 (PST)

For me, the value of wild ecosystems is greater than the value of purely
'native' ecosystems. My own personal fantasy is for the humun population,
and its consumption, to fall to the point where 75% of the planet could be
wild, free from domination by people. The idea that humuns have the right to
manage the entire planet and choose which species will be where is total
arrogance, and that is exactly what is happening. While I do feel we are in
a crisis that requires more management than in the past (just to be able to
maintain biodiversity until the crisis has passed), I view this as temporary.
I agree with Toby that campaigns to exterminate well-established exotic
species probably do more harm than good, except perhaps on small, isolated
islands and such. Most of the ecosystems on Earth should have the right to
freely evolve without humun domination. Where people are willing to tread
lightly, they could be part of these ecosystems, but otherwise most
ecosystems should be
allowed self-determination, just as humun communities desire and deserve.

I have spent time clearing Douglas-fir from meadows that used to be burned by
Kalapooya Native Americans. But this was a local effort to preserve open
space and biodiversity. Would I propose that Douglas-fir encroachment be
prevented across the entire Willamette Valley? No way! The grasslands and
oak savannahs of western Oregon have now been thorougly colonized by people
with a radically different culture than the ones that existed before. I
would rather that the few existing wildlands (with a few carefully chosen
exceptions) freely evolve with Douglas-fir than be managed by a corrupt,
monolithic, and simple-minded bureaucracy.

So let me throw the term 'wild' into the mix along with 'native.' As long as
we have a preventative strategy to avoid introducing exotic invasives in the
first place, we can let wild ecosystems evolve on their own terms.
Restoration ecology must include 'wild' as part of its definition for a
successful project.

Rain


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  • [permaculture] wild is more important than native, Rain Tenaqiya, 01/02/2005

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