In the pathway: Adapting your garden to a changing climate, Social and collective permaculture
Bioregionalism
Thinking about a territory from its watersheds, soils, climates and local cultures.
Explanation
Rather than following administrative boundaries, bioregionalism relies on natural borders (watercourses, relief, ecosystems) to adapt agricultural, economic and cultural practices to each territory. A North American school of thought theorised by Peter Berg, Raymond Dasmann (1977) and Kirkpatrick Sale (Dwellers in the Land, 1985).
Refined definition
A bioregion is a geographical area defined by shared natural characteristics: watershed, soil type, climate, vegetation, fauna, sometimes local language and culture. Bioregionalism defends the idea that human practices (agriculture, energy, economy, governance) should adapt to these realities rather than impose uniform models on different territories.
Key points
How to identify your bioregion
Three nested scales: (1) WATERSHED, where does the water from my roof go? (2) ECOSYSTEM, which trees dominate spontaneously? Which insects? Which birds? (3) HUMAN, which languages, recipes, historical know-how? In France, examples of bioregions: the high-altitude Mediterranean Lozère, the Norman Bocage, the Camargue, the sandy Sologne. Tools: Géoportail (France), Atlas des Paysages, INPN.
Practical implications
Grow varieties suited to your bioregion (vine in the Bordeaux region; olive in Provence; chestnut in the Cévennes). Build with local materials (terracotta in Périgord, dry stone in Provence, slate in Anjou). Eat the seasonal produce of the territory (sardines in Marseille in summer, sauerkraut in Alsace in winter). Support local economies (AMAP box schemes, short supply chains, local currencies, Eusko, Sol-Violette).
Watch out for
- • Bioregionalism is not isolation: it is a linking of the local, regional and global scales.
- • Risk of drifting toward identity-based “nativism”, the bioregion is an ecological framework, not a cultural exclusion.
Sources
- Sale, K. (1985). Dwellers in the Land: The Bioregional Vision. San Francisco : Sierra Club Books.