Dear Wayne, Indeed, but there is a huge difference between a corn field and that forest in Ascension Island, or a corn field and what the forest gardening movement is trying to achieve. The further we move away from the high energy input, low biodiversity, soil fertility destroying, water demanding, toxic waste producing side to sustain us the better off we and the planet will be.
And until we are not ready to go back to hunter and gatherer life style and low population densities we are forced to occupy some land aimed to the production of food and other commodities. In this context edible forests assembled by humans seem something worth a trial as a step towards something more sustainable. It doesn't matter if someone wants to call the high energy input, low biodiversity, soil fertility destroying, water demanding, toxic waste producing assemblage "an ecosystem". Call it what you wish but do something to move away from it cause it won't sustain you for too long. There is really no time to argue on definitions. Francesca ________________________________ From: Wayne Tyson <landr...@cox.net> To: ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU Sent: Sunday, September 1, 2013 4:52 PM Subject: Re: [ECOLOG-L] Human-assembled ecosystem Cultivation of plants and animals, by definition, replaces complex, self-sustaining ecosystems with monocultures or "polycultures." WT ----- Original Message ----- From: "frah...@yahoo.com" <frah...@yahoo.com> To: <ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU> Sent: Sunday, September 01, 2013 3:11 AM Subject: Re: [ECOLOG-L] Human-assembled ecosystem Very interesting article and subject considering we are in a terrible urgency to restore so much degraded land and to start producing food in a more sustainable way. It is not about advocating for replacing a native forest with a human-assembled ecosystem of course, but starting replacing monoculture agricultural fields, pastures, degraded abandoned lands with a forested ecosystem assembled by humans with the purpose to provide food is probably the future of our species and a step towards real sustainability. Yes, unfortunately "applied projects" hardly are ever published but in the world of permaculture, edible forest gardening and the alike people are trying to create diverse self-maintaining forested ecosystems that provide for human needs (food, fuel, fodder, fiber, timber) in a sustainable manner. This approach might allow humans to contribute positively to life on this planet rather than negatively as we have been historically accustomed to do. Here a list of institutes I am aware of that research on and promote this type of approach to agriculture and human sustenance: Temperate: http://www.edibleforestgardens.com/about_gardening http://www.apiosinstitute.org/ http://www.agroforestry.co.uk/forgndg.html Subtropical: http://www.permaculturenews.org/about-permaculture-and-the-pri/ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ca3SRjHfMX8 I hope to see the scientific community putting more effort in this type of urgently needed research and projects. Francesca ________________________________ From: Richard Boyce <boy...@nku.edu> To: ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU Sent: Thursday, August 29, 2013 5:01 PM Subject: [ECOLOG-L] Human-assembled ecosystem Here's a *very* interesting story on the human-assembled ecosystems of Ascension Island in the tropical South Atlantic: http://e360.yale.edu/feature/on_a_remote_island_lessons__in_how_ecosystems_function/2683/ I suspect that further research here may challenge our ideas regarding community assembly. ================================ Richard L. Boyce, Ph.D. Director, Environmental Science Program Professor Department of Biological Sciences, SC 150 Northern Kentucky University Nunn Drive Highland Heights, KY 41099 USA 859-572-1407 (tel.) 859-572-5639 (fax) boy...@nku.edu<mailto:boy...@nku.edu> http://www.nku.edu/~boycer/ ================================= "One of the advantages of being disorderly is that one is constantly making exciting discoveries." - A.A. Milne
