Ecotone permaculture12/30/2023 sheep or cattle) that a given area of land will support. CARRYING CAPACITY - The number of people or animals (esp. CARNIVORE - A carnivorous (meat-eating) animal one of the Carnivora. The paradigm-changing ideas in society are often generated by those who are marginalized, at the edge of acceptable norms.Īnd back to weeds: Eating what is considered a weed is seen as non-conforming behavior, but it also can provide extremely high nutritional value.CALCIPHILE - Any plant or animal capable of thriving in calcareous (limestone) soils. Valuing the marginal can be seen in several ways, including from a societal or intellectual standpoint: ideas, views, unusual plants, wild animals or people at the 'edge' of society. Sometimes unwanted, they are certainly part of diversity. Weeds, the pioneer species we deal with regularly, thrive in disturbed and challenging environments with lower competition. Sometimes gentle, sometimes harsh, but different than the surrounding mass and therefore increasing diversity. These fertile areas frequently have their own microclimate created by an exchange of heat, or moisture or by a sheltering effect. Look at other interfaces: Soil/air, soil/water, water/air. Beneficial and less desirable critters use the margins-deer paths, pollinator flyways, human walkways-and seek shelter at the edges. By clustering trees and leaving open spaces, one can simulate the forest edge effect. Paths create edges and serpentine paths provide more edge than arrow-straight paths. The more ecosystem edges that meet, the better. The permaculture designer, in planning for ‘more edge’ in a given system, works to increase ‘overlap’ between ecosystems, thereby creating more biodiversity. These ideas are used in alley cropping, shelterbelts and pond design. If the most productive bit of woodland is the edge, then design it to have a bigger edge. In ecology this is called 'ecotone.' This is central to the idea of using edges as a design method. Where do you see a greater diversity and density of life? Look at a forest, and then study the area where it transitions to meadow or lake or stream, and you will, once again, find a greater diversity.Īll exchanges happen at edges, and exchanges lead to an increase in value: The place where two eco-systems or habitats meet is generally more productive and richer in the variety of species present than either habitat on its own. Think of the ocean, and then look at tide pools and marshes. ![]() These are often the most valuable, diverse and productive elements in the system. The interface between things is where the most interesting events take place. "Don’t think you are on the right track just because it is a well beaten path"Ĭommentary by Tim Sonder, Edible Evanston (November, 2019)
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