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 

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