bioregionalism
The bioregion is a region with life, it is a geographical area whose boundaries have been marked by nature; It is a particular area due to its flora, fauna, climate, soils, topography, its streams and the cultures that inhabit it, which have flourished thanks to its biodiversity.
Bioregionalism is a current that conceives bioregions as systems, made up of diverse subsystems that function based on natural laws, which make their ecosystems viable and sustainable.
The place is the central concept of the bioregional perspective, which proposes knowing, locating, exploring and understanding the geographical and hydrological dynamics of the region where we live, since we all live in a basin. It warns us that in order to have a secure future as one species among many others, we must work in harmony with nature. The bioregional perspective proposes that in the design of all long-term human activity and occupation projects we use ecological principles as a basis.
The bioregional perspective has empowered many groups and individuals, they have recognized their power to make very positive changes, they have improved their ability to respond to protect the biocultural integrity of their bioregion.
Three missions of the bioregional proposal are:
1. The cultural mission to create ways to relate to nature in a sustainable way by increasing awareness that we are inhabitants and guardians of the Earth, and to replace the exploitation and consumption imposed by the market-centered industrial economy.
2. The political mission of mitigating the outrages and abuses perpetrated against the Earth, by working simultaneously on legislation for the protection of biological and cultural diversity, in organizing the tasks of the movement and in building institutions alternatives.
3. The educational mission of making available to the largest possible number of people, especially young people, the information and practices to learn about a bioregion and for environmental restoration and to inspire them to use and share that knowledge with others in specific actions, circles of study, tours and practical sessions.
In this XVI Council of Visions, experiences and resources that have been used to disseminate and practice care for the environment through specific projects with a bioregional approach will be presented.
David Hankee one of the pioneers of Bioregionalism
