permaculture

[<permed@nor.com.au>]

>The emphasis of this conference was feeding the soil food web and putting
>function before structure, e.g. restoring soil and water cycles before
>simply installing a plant community.

Am curious as to how can one restore soil and water cycles without 
plants? Aren't plants an integral part of these processes? Maybe these 
good folks don't understand the functional aspects of succession, a plant 
community is something that needs to evolve rather than be 'installed' as 
a final finished product. Where do the animals fit in to the picture?
Robyn