http://ifl.boku.ac.at:80/research/permakultur/ecovill_e.html -- Lawrence F. London, Jr. - Venaura Farm - Chapel Hill, NC, USA mailto:london@sunSITE.unc.edu http://sunSITE.unc.edu/InterGarden mailto:llondon@nuteknet.com http:nuteknet.com/london Venaura FarmTitle: Network of Networks
BioNetwork deutsch english
Project BioNetwork is about tcatalysation and support of a network of regional networks of practical projects serving ecological, economical, and social sustainability.
first concept
We intend to do this byorganizing land for
supporting,
connecting by networking and
coordinating of BioProjects and BioArks,
as well as organizing lands for wilderness.
BioProject we call in this context any project which:
- has the botanical and/or zoological diversity as its direct goal
means:
protected zones (in situ conservation)
propagation, breeding and rehabitation or stabilisation of endangered wild plants and/or animals
conservation breeding/growing of endangered breeds of domestic animals and/or cultivated plant species or varieties
economic utilisation of endangered economic plants and/or animals
Genebanks
etc.
- is based on a concept that includes ecological, economical, and social sustainability as declared goals
means:
organic farming
participatory and selfresponsible organisation strucutres
producer-consumer contact and cooperation
sound and fair marketing strategies
interdisciplinary and wholistic planning
participation in regional trading systems independent of worldmarkets
etc.
- intentively supports the psychological and economic freedom and fair interdependence of individuals, communities and regions
means:
alternative children education (including farming/gardening)
adult aducation (seminars, courses, example, documentations, etc)
initiation/founding of regional cooperative projects
care and support for traditional regional crafts and skills
conservation/maintenance of knowledge specific to the region
production for local markets/regional subsistance
councelling
etc.
- is aiming to integrate the shared personal psycho/spiritual insights of it's members into the everyday material and social ecperience
means:
conscious efforts for a secure and gentle athmosphere
common support structures (talking circles, etc)
their own meaningful rituals
etc.
BioArk we call in this context any project which aimes for A MULTITUDE the above mentioned points in a holistic, integrative way and has realized them already to a recognizable extent. Special emphasis should be on biodiversity and modern subsitance. Naturally these will be communities, which certainly might be comprised of two or more BioProjects that are near each other, connected in friendship and closely cooperating.
- is aiming to harmonize the material with the subtle (spiritual-emotional) qualities of the landscape
means:
projectdesign according to natural rhythms and cycles
design of house, farm and open space according to geomantic principles
etc.
Detail Aspects
- communication with existing initiatives and projects, that have at least a few of the above mentioned points as their declared goal (or can easily be won for the idea, e.g. farmers in difficult regions that are forced out of business by current agricultural policy)
- motivating and supporting them to network (through regular communication, newsletters, meetings, monitoring, transmittion of knowhow, software, implementation of appropriate infrastructures etc.)
- if appropriate support them in their development towards becoming a BioArk (through information, councelling, training programs, monitoring, etc.) - also see aspect 2.
- communication with potential BioArk stewards (wannabe dropouts, graduates of agricultural universities and colleges, people living in BioProjects, ecological minded unemployeds, etc.)
- support in setting and visualizing their goals
- offer them (and possibly finance big parts of) a full training as BioArk stewards (filling any inforrrmation and knowledge deficits within the various fields, interdisciplinary designer and manager training, developing social competence as well as abilities and skills in teamworking, networking, conflict management, etc.)
- a company that gives out shares and with the shareholders money buys land/farms for BioArks, leasing them to BioArk stewards (1. existing organic farms that are for sale, to keep them organic, 2. any farms/land in bio-strategically important regions - see aspect 4)
- a land-trust that collects land (and funds for buying land) and
- leases it to BioArk stewards.
- creates wilderness that is not accessible to humans; meaningful size: from 100 ha up.
- choosing the best regions (criteria: high density of BioProjects to network, ecological quality of the landscape, infrastructure, land prices)
- intentionally increasing the density of the regional BioNetwork by adding BioArks (see aspects 2 and 3)
- expansion and densification of the network BioNetwork starting from the above mentioned pioneering nuclei regions (see aspect 4)
- longterm lease of land to BioArk stewards
- monitoring of BioProjects and BioArks
- supporting the regional BioNetworks with the coordination of the conservation work and other networking tasks
permakultur austria
Institut für Freiraumgestaltung und Landschaftspflege - Arbeitsbereich
Freiraum
Universität für Bodenkultur Wien
Peter Jordan-Straße 82
A-1190 Wien, Austria
Tel: ++43-1-47654-7231, Fax: ++43-1-47654-7229
e-mail: perma@mail.boku.ac.at
URL: http://ifl.boku.ac.at:80/research/permakultur/home.html