In the epoch of smart phones it is not a difficult task to introduce the concept of a smart landscape because parallels can be drawn between these two and all our readers are familiar with a smart phone as a phenomenon.
It’s the amount and type of apps that determines “how” smart a phone is and what it can do. Similarly the level of inteligence of a landscape is reflected in the amount and the type of DNA it hosts. In other words, how many and what type of organisms we share the enviroment with has a direct impact on how our resource base looks like.
So, poverty can also have another meaning, one that expresses a week connection to Nature’s abundance.
So what exactly are the benefits of creating and living in a high biodiversity landscape?
My personal favorite and the one most people often name last if at all, is a state of mind, an emotion, if you will. A feeling, a knowing of fully belonging I get from creating and keeping a relationship with any and all organisms in my home/eco system.
Also, from The Less Obvious Benefits List, I must stress a temperature and water management forested landscapes provide, truly a priceless service. Soil erosion control is also on the same list as is the physical and mental fitness of its inhabitants as a result of activities required for such lifestyle.
To throw in few of the more obvious benefits let’s state all fermenting technologies producing food and drink items of virtually endless shelf life and with new and improved nutrient value and flavor experience.
Speaking of microorganisms, let’s mention thermophilic fermentation, a natural process which results in sanitation of a composted substrate as well as an optimum retention of components needed for a healthy plant growing.
All the above is just the base for a community. Next comes the myriad of plants we use for food, medicine, building and craft materials, textiles, paper, etc.
