permaculture

["Bart Anderson" <bart@cwo.com>]

Toby Hemenway wrote:
> I couldn't be so adamant about this issue if my position weren't backed up
> with excellent science. If you're interested in an superb answer to all
your
> questions, and to see how critiques of invasion biology are very well
> integrated into a scientific structure (and how invasion biology itself is
> not!), take the time to read David Theodoropoulos' book, "Invasion
Biology:
> Critique of a Pseudoscience." Well worth it.

I ought to give Theodoropoulos another try.  When I tried to read his book a
couple of years ago, I was put off by his polemical style.  I was hoping
that another book would come along, that would develop the same ideas but
with a more fair-minded approach.

David Holmgren's website says that he will be coming out with a book on the
subject: "Weeds or Wild Nature: Migrant Plants and Animals in Australia". --
that should be interesting.   Holmgren reviews Theodoropolous at
http://www.holmgren.com.au/DownloadableFiles/PDFs/InvasionBiolReview.pdf .

Are you (Toby) -- or anyone else with a scientific background -- thinking of
writing a book about the field?

> And congrats on writing up your zone and sector ideas for the latest
> Activist that you presented in earlier form so wonderfully in our design
> course. Great stuff--I'm only sorry that the drawings were so blurry (a
> common problem with the Activist's printer).

Thanks for mentioning the Permaculture Activist article. Maybe I ought to
post a copy on the Web so that people can decipher the drawings?

The current issue on urban permaculture looks like a winner.  I see the next
issue is going to focus on Peak Oil.  Should be a good one!  The peak oil
discussions often mention permaculture favorably, so maybe permaculture is
due for another growth spurt.

Bart Anderson

----- Original Message -----
From: "Toby Hemenway" <toby@patternliteracy.com>
To: "permaculture list" <permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: Thursday, November 17, 2005 12:11 PM
Subject: Re: [permaculture] Invasives


> Hey Bart,
>
> I couldn't be so adamant about this issue if my position weren't backed up
> with excellent science. If you're interested in an superb answer to all
your
> questions, and to see how critiques of invasion biology are very well
> integrated into a scientific structure (and how invasion biology itself is
> not!), take the time to read David Theodoropoulos' book, "Invasion
Biology:
> Critique of a Pseudoscience." Well worth it.
>
> And congrats on writing up your zone and sector ideas for the latest
> Activist that you presented in earlier form so wonderfully in our design
> course. Great stuff--I'm only sorry that the drawings were so blurry (a
> common problem with the Activist's printer).
>
> Toby
>
>
> On 11/17/05 11:04 AM, "Bart Anderson" <bart@cwo.com> wrote:
>
> >
> > I feel ambivalent about the ideas on invasives put forward by
> > Claude William Genest, Toby Huff and others.
> >
> > On the one hand, I agree with many of the criticisms of the
> > standard orthodoxy on invasives.
> >
> > The weak point is that the criticism is not integrated into
> > a scientific structure.  How do these ideas fit into the
> > current understanding of ecology?  What are the points of
> > agreement and disagreemnt with specific theories?  What
> > research is relevant?
> >
> > Toby has frequently called for scientific trials of
> > permaculture techniques.  I think the scientific approach
> > is essential as one goes beyond the level of garden and
> > farm.  Informal observation is not adqueate to deal with
> > the huge areas and long time scales over which ecological
> > change takes place.
> >
> > Bart Anderson
> > _______________________________________________
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> > permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org
> > http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/permaculture
>
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