Bioregionalism is a philosophy that suggests that
political
Politics (from , ) is the set of activities that are associated with making decisions in groups, or other forms of power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of resources or status. The branch of social science that stud ...
,
cultural, and
economic
An economy is an area of the production, distribution and trade, as well as consumption of goods and services. In general, it is defined as a social domain that emphasize the practices, discourses, and material expressions associated with the ...
systems are more
sustainable and
just if they are organized around naturally defined areas called
bioregion
A bioregion is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than a biogeographic realm, but larger than an ecoregion or an ecosystem, in the World Wide Fund for Nature classification scheme. There is also an attempt to use the ...
s, similar to
ecoregion
An ecoregion (ecological region) or ecozone (ecological zone) is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than a bioregion, which in turn is smaller than a biogeographic realm. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of ...
s. Bioregions are defined through physical and environmental features, including
watershed boundaries and
soil
Soil, also commonly referred to as earth or dirt
Dirt is an unclean matter, especially when in contact with a person's clothes, skin, or possessions. In such cases, they are said to become dirty.
Common types of dirt include:
* Debri ...
and
terrain
Terrain or relief (also topographical relief) involves the vertical and horizontal dimensions of land surface. The term bathymetry is used to describe underwater relief, while hypsometry studies terrain relative to sea level. The Latin wo ...
characteristics. Bioregionalism stresses that the determination of a bioregion is also a
cultural phenomenon, and emphasizes local populations, knowledge, and solutions.
Bioregionalism asserts "that a bioregion's environmental components (geography, climate, plant life, animal life, etc.) directly influence ways for human communities to act and interact with each other which are, in turn, optimal for those communities to thrive in their environment. As such, those ways to thrive in their totality—be they economic, cultural, spiritual, or political—will be distinctive in some capacity as being a product of their bioregional environment."
Bioregionalism is a concept that goes beyond
national boundaries—an example is the concept of
Cascadia, a region that is sometimes considered to consist of most of
Oregon
Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. T ...
and
Washington
Washington commonly refers to:
* Washington (state), United States
* Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States
** A metonym for the federal government of the United States
** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...
, the
Alaska Panhandle, the far north of
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
and the
West Coast of Canada
, settlement_type = Region of British Columbia
, image_skyline =
, nickname = "The Coast"
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Canada
, subdivision_type1 = Province
, subdivision_name1 = British ...
, sometimes also including some or all of
Idaho
Idaho ( ) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Montana and Wyomi ...
and
western Montana
Western Montana is the western region of the U.S. state of Montana. The most restrictive definition limits western Montana only to the parts of the state west of the Continental Divide. Other common definitions add in the mountainous areas east ...
. Another example of a bioregion, which does not cross national boundaries, but does overlap state lines, is
the Ozarks
The Ozarks, also known as the Ozark Mountains, Ozark Highlands or Ozark Plateau, is a physiographic region in the U.S. states of Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma and the extreme southeastern corner of Kansas. The Ozarks cover a significant porti ...
, a bioregion also referred to as the Ozarks Plateau, which consists of southern
Missouri
Missouri is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee): Iowa to the north, Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee to the east, Arkansas t ...
, northwest
Arkansas
Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the O ...
, the northeast corner of
Oklahoma, southeast corner of
Kansas
Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to th ...
.
Bioregions are not synonymous with ecoregions as defined by bodies such as the
World Wildlife Fund
The World Wide Fund for Nature Inc. (WWF) is an international non-governmental organization founded in 1961 that works in the field of wilderness preservation and the reduction of human impact on the environment. It was formerly named the Wo ...
or the
Commission for Environmental Cooperation; the latter are scientifically based and focused on wildlife and vegetation. Bioregions, by contrast are human regions, informed by nature but with a social and political element. In this way bioregionalism is simply
political localism
Localism describes a range of political philosophies which prioritize the local. Generally, localism supports local production and consumption of goods, local control of government, and promotion of local history, local culture and local identi ...
with an ecological foundation.
Overview
The term was coined by Allen Van Newkirk, founder of the Institute for Bioregional Research, in 1975, given currency by
Peter Berg
Peter Berg (born March 11, 1964) is an American director, producer, writer, and actor. His directorial film works include the black comedy ''Very Bad Things'' (1998), the action comedy ''The Rundown'' (2003), the sports drama '' Friday Night Lig ...
and
Raymond F. Dasmann in the early 1970s, and has been advocated by writers such as David Haenke and
Kirkpatrick Sale
Kirkpatrick Sale (born June 27, 1937) is an American author who has written prolifically about political decentralism, environmentalism, luddism and technology. He has been described as having a "philosophy unified by decentralism" and as being " ...
.
The bioregionalist perspective opposes a homogeneous economy and consumer culture with its lack of stewardship towards the environment. This perspective seeks to:
*Ensure that political boundaries match ecological boundaries.
*Highlight the unique
ecology
Ecology () is the study of the relationships between living organisms, including humans, and their physical environment. Ecology considers organisms at the individual, population, community, ecosystem, and biosphere level. Ecology overl ...
of the bioregion.
*Encourage consumption of
local food
Local food is food that is produced within a short distance of where it is consumed, often accompanied by a social structure and supply chain different from the large-scale supermarket system.
Local food (or "locavore") movements aim to con ...
s where possible.
*Encourage the use of local
materials
Material is a substance or mixture of substances that constitutes an object. Materials can be pure or impure, living or non-living matter. Materials can be classified on the basis of their physical and chemical properties, or on their geolog ...
where possible.
*Encourage the cultivation of
native plants
In biogeography, a native species is indigenous to a given region or ecosystem if its presence in that region is the result of only local natural evolution (though often popularised as "with no human intervention") during history. The term is equi ...
of the region.
*Encourage
sustainability in harmony with the bioregion.
Bioregional mapping is a powerful tool to increase understanding, change the story and influence policy. A good bioregional map shows layers of geology, flora, fauna, and inhabitation over time. All the interdisciplinary content that is integrated in this kind of map makes it a great communication tool to illustrate an ecological approach. One of the best examples of a richly communicative bioregional map is David McClosky'
new map of Cascadia
Some thinkers disagree that
deep ecology thinking leads to bioregionalism or that bioregionalism is a practicable way of organising human society
Relationship to environmentalism
Bioregionalism, while akin to
environmentalism
Environmentalism or environmental rights is a broad philosophy, ideology, and social movement regarding concerns for environmental protection and improvement of the health of the environment, particularly as the measure for this health seeks ...
in certain aspects, such as a desire to live in harmony with
nature
Nature, in the broadest sense, is the physical world or universe. "Nature" can refer to the phenomena of the physical world, and also to life in general. The study of nature is a large, if not the only, part of science. Although humans are ...
, differs in certain ways from classical, 20th century environmentalism.
According to Peter Berg, bioregionalism is
proactive
Proactivity or proactive behavior refers to self-initiated behavior that endeavours to solve a problem before it has occurred. Proactive behavior involves acting in advance of a future situation, rather than reacting. It refers to taking control o ...
, and is based on forming a harmony between human culture and the natural environment, rather than being
protest
A protest (also called a demonstration, remonstration or remonstrance) is a public expression of objection, disapproval or dissent towards an idea or action, typically a political one.
Protests can be thought of as acts of cooper ...
-based like the original environmental movement. Also, while classical environmentalists saw human industry as the
enemy
An enemy or a foe is an individual or a group that is considered as forcefully adverse or threatening. The concept of an enemy has been observed to be "basic for both individuals and communities". The term "enemy" serves the social function of d ...
of nature and nature as a victim needing to be saved; bioregionalists see humanity and its culture as a part of nature, focusing on building a positive, sustainable relationship with both the sociological and ecological environments, rather than a focus on preserving and segregating the
wilderness from the world of humanity.
In politics
North American Bioregional Assemblies have been meeting at bi-annual gatherings of bioregionalists throughout North America since 1984 and have given rise to national level
Green Parties. The tenets of bioregionalism are often used by green movements, which oppose political organizations whose boundaries conform to existing electoral districts. This problem is perceived to result in elected representatives voting in accordance with their constituents, some of whom may live outside a defined bioregion, and may run counter to the well-being of the bioregion.
At the local level, several bioregions have congresses that meet regularly. For instance, the Ozark Plateau bioregion hosts a yearly Ozark Area Community Congress, better known as OACC, which has been meeting every year since 1980, most often on the first weekend in October. The Kansas Area Watershed, "KAW" was founded in 1982 and has been meeting regularly since that time. KAW holds a yearly meeting, usually in the spring.
The government of the Canadian province of Alberta has recently made major amendments to its land-use policies including a separate "land-use framework" document for each major
river basin
A drainage basin is an area of land where all flowing surface water converges to a single point, such as a river mouth, or flows into another body of water, such as a lake or ocean. A basin is separated from adjacent basins by a perimeter, t ...
within the province. This is supported by local initiatives such as the
Beaver Hills Initiative to preserve an ecoregion which encompasses
Elk Island National Park and the surrounding area.
See also
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References
Further reading
*Alexander, D. (1990). "Bioregionalism: Science or sensibility?" ''Environmental Ethics'', 12(2), 161-173.
DOI:10.5840/enviroethics199012217. Retrieved from:
http://hdl.handle.net/10613/2725
*Mike Carr, ''Bioregionalism and Civil Society: Democratic Challenges to Corporate Globalism'', UBC Press, 2004. .
*Peter Berg, editor. ''Reinhabiting A Separate Country: A Bioregional Anthology of Northern California''. San Francisco: Planet Drum, 1978. .
* Peter Berg, ''Envisioning Sustainability'', Subculture Books, 2009. .
*Michael McGinnis, editor. ''Bioregionalism'', Routledge, 1998. .
*Ryan Moothart.
Towards Cascadia Minneapolis, MN: Mill City Press. .''
*Kirkpatrick Sale, ''Dwellers in the Land: The Bioregional Vision''. Random House, 1985. (University of Georgia Press, 2000).
*
Gary Snyder. ''A Place in Space: Ethics, Aesthetics, and Watersheds''. Counterpoint, 1995.
*Robert Thayer. ''LifePlace: Bioregional Thought and Practice'', University of California Press, 2003.
*Emanuele Guerrieri Ciaceri. ''Bioregionalismo. La visione locale di un mondo globale''. Argo Edizioni, Italia 2006.
*Doug Aberley, editor. ''Boundaries of Home: Mapping for Local Empowerment.'' New Society Publishers, 1998. {{ISBN, 978-0-86571-272-0
External links
Free Cascadia.org the website belonging to Alexander Baretich, designer of the
Cascadian flag, and advocate of Bioregionalism.
Encyclopedia of Earth: EcoregionNorth American Bioregional CongressOzark Area Community CongressPlanet Drum Foundationwebsite.
- interdisciplinary research and educational project at
UC Davis
The University of California, Davis (UC Davis, UCD, or Davis) is a public land-grant research university near Davis, California. Named a Public Ivy, it is the northernmost of the ten campuses of the University of California system. The institut ...
Bioregionalismat
Columbia Encyclopedia
The ''Columbia Encyclopedia'' is a one-volume encyclopedia produced by Columbia University Press and, in the last edition, sold by the Gale Group. First published in 1935, and continuing its relationship with Columbia University, the encyclope ...
, 2020
Deep ecology
Ecology terminology
Sustainable design
Anarchist theory
Ecoregions
Cultural politics
*
Environmental movements