Bioregionalism

People can live in ways that help the earth.

Some people think about lands in a new way. They look at water and soil. They do not just look at lines on a map.

These areas are called bioregions. A bioregion is shaped by nature. It is shaped by plants and animals too.

People in these areas can eat local food. They can use things found nearby. This helps the land stay healthy.

This idea started many years ago. It helps people and nature live together. It is a way to care for our home.

Some people think about the world in a new way. They use a way of thinking called bioregionalism.

Most maps use lines made by people. These lines show countries or states. But bioregionalism uses natural lines. These lines are shaped by water, soil, and land. They are also shaped by plants and animals.

A bioregion is a special area. It might cross over state lines. For example, the Cascadia region includes parts of many places. It includes Oregon, Washington, and parts of Canada.

This idea started in the 1970s. A man named Allen Van Newkirk helped start it. Other people like Peter Berg also helped. They wanted people to live in harmony with nature.

People use bioregional mapping to learn about their homes. They make maps that show local stories and plants. This helps people understand their land. It also helps them make good choices. They can eat local food. They can use local materials. This helps the whole area stay healthy and strong.

Bioregionalism is a way of thinking about how we live on Earth. It suggests that our politics, culture, and money work best when organized around natural areas. These areas are called bioregions. Unlike countries, bioregions are defined by nature. They use things like watersheds, which are areas where water flows to the same place. They also look at soil types and the shape of the land. This way of thinking helps people live in harmony with the world around them.

To find the edges of a bioregion, people look at many different layers. First, they look at "hard" lines like geology and the shape of the mountains. Next, they look at "soft" lines like the climate and the living things in the area. This includes plants, animals, and even the soil. Finally, they add "human" lines. These include things like local music, language, and how people grow food. A bioregion is not just about nature alone. It is about how humans and nature fit together in one place.

This idea grew in the 1970s along the West Coast of North America. A Canadian poet named Allen Van Newkirk helped create the term. He shared his ideas with Peter Berg in 1971. Peter Berg and Judy Goldhaft then started the Planet Drum Foundation in 1973. This group helped make the idea of bioregions popular. They published "Bundles" that included art, poetry, and science. These bundles helped people learn about their own local areas.

Bioregions often do not follow the lines on a regular map. For example, a region called Cascadia includes parts of Oregon and Washington. It also covers parts of Canada and Alaska. Another example is the Ozarks. This area includes parts of Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Kansas. People also use bioregional mapping to protect their homes. In the 1980s and 1990s, First Nations used these maps in court. This helped them defend their rights and their land.

Bioregionalism is different from some other environmental movements. Some groups try to keep humans away from nature to protect it. Bioregionalists believe humans are actually a part of nature. They want to build a positive relationship with the land. This means eating local foods and using local materials. It also means growing plants that naturally belong in the area. By doing this, people can help their specific home stay healthy for a long time.

Bioregionalism is a philosophy about how humans live on Earth. It suggests that political, cultural, and economic systems work better when they match natural areas. These natural areas are called bioregions. A bioregion is not a country or a state. Instead, it is defined by physical and environmental features. These features include things like watershed boundaries and soil types. Bioregionalism is different from scientific ecoregions. While ecoregions focus mostly on ecology, bioregions include human culture and history. This way of thinking helps people live in harmony with their specific environment.

To define a bioregion, people look at several different layers of information. They start with "hard" lines, which are the oldest physical features. These include geology, topography, and tectonics. They also look at wind patterns and continental divides. Next, they look at "soft" lines. These are the living systems like climate, soil, and ecosystems. This layer includes the specific flora and fauna of the area. Finally, they add "human" lines to complete the picture. These include human geography, language, music, and agriculture. By combining these layers, a bioregion represents the total relationship between nature and people.

Bioregional mapping is a special tool used to understand these areas. This is a participatory approach to cartography, which is the science of making maps. Instead of just using human borders, these maps show natural and cultural realities. A good bioregional map shows layers of geology and plants over time. It also includes local stories, songs, and historical landmarks. This method allows local people to contribute their own knowledge. It aligns with Indigenous mapping practices by focusing on natural boundaries. This helps show the deep relationship between people and their environment.

In the 1980s and 1990s, bioregional mapping became very important for legal reasons. Several First Nations, including the Tsleil-Waututh, Nisga'a, Tsilhqot'in, and Wet'suwet'en, used these maps. They created bioregional atlases to help in court cases. One famous example is the Tsilhqot'in Nation v British Columbia case. These groups used mapping to defend their sovereignty and their land. For many, bioregionalism is also a way to reclaim traditional knowledge and languages. Some people even use different names for land, such as "Turtle Island," to help with decolonization.

The history of bioregionalism began in the 1970s on the West Coast of North America. A Canadian poet and biogeographer named Allen Van Newkirk is credited with coining the term. He shared his ideas with Peter Berg in 1971. Berg and Judy Goldhaft founded the Planet Drum Foundation in 1973. This foundation became a leading center for the movement. They published "Bioregional Bundles," which were envelopes filled with art, poetry, and science. Between 1973 and 1985, they published nine of these bundles. They covered many places, including the Arctic Circle, West Africa, and Japan.

By 1990, the Planet Drum Foundation served as a hub for over 250 groups. These groups were located in North America, Canada, and Mexico. The movement even spread to Australia, Latin America, Italy, and Spain. Bioregionalism grew from many different social movements. It was influenced by the civil rights movement and the anti-war movement. It also grew from the Digger movement in San Francisco. Many people joined the movement to find a positive alternative to mainstream culture. They wanted to move away from a consumer culture that lacked stewardship for the environment.

Bioregionalism differs from some other types of environmentalism. Many 20th-century environmentalists saw human industry as an enemy of nature. They often viewed nature as a victim that needed to be saved from people. Bioregionalists have a different view. They see humanity and human culture as a part of nature. They want to build a proactive, positive relationship with the land. This means encouraging the use of local foods and local materials. It also means cultivating native plants that belong in the region. This approach seeks sustainability through harmony rather than through separation.

Real-world examples show how bioregions ignore human borders. One example is Cascadia. This region includes most of Oregon and Washington. It also includes the Alaska Panhandle and parts of Canada. Another example is the Ozarks, or the Ozarks Plateau. This bioregion includes parts of Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Kansas. These areas show that nature does not follow the lines drawn by governments. Understanding these boundaries helps people understand their true connection to the earth.