Summary: Developing a Deeper Understanding of Ecosystem Dynamics

Dear Friends,

I have drafted what could be called a summary version of the much longer email or post in which I describe many of the ecosystem dynamics that have been causing our loss and lack of resiliency and why I think it is imperative that we continue to focus moreso on such things as this either before or as we go on to new exercises and activities. This should be much quicker to read and so I include it below.

Numerous and multiple causes are rapidly leading to such things as a loss of ecosystem integrity, major land and soil degradation, disruption of large and small scale natural water cycles, drying out and rapid heating up of land, watersheds, and the natural environment, and further leading to and causing natural resource depletion and scarcity almost across the board along with the other things that we discussed at our last meeting. If we want to be able to take effective action to transition rapidly to a much more resilient future and practices then it is essential that we develop a holistic, systemic and basic understanding of both the system and ecosystem dynamics that are causing these changes to occur so rapidly and quickly; and it would probably be helpful if we could go into this much more deeply before spending too much time discussing what our learning edge might be, assessing our individual patterns of community resiliency, and/or what can best be done to address such things as this.

Once one begins to develop a fuller understanding of such connections, interrelationships and interdependencies and dynamics then I believe that one will begin to understand much more clearly as to why it will be essential for pretty much all of humanity to transition as rapidly as possible to such things as I like to call the prerequisites for creating a more fully regenerative and sustainable future. This would then include such things as transitioning as closely as we can to 100% renewable energy systems, fully regenerative agriculture, as much ecosystem restoration, a fully circular economy, rapid phase out of toxic chemicals, restoration of natural water cycles and watersheds, eating primarily a plant based diet, and for many of us reducing our levels of consumption, etc. as much as possible. This is what i believe it will take to truly become resilient in both our communities and as a part of humanity as a whole.

I began to delve in my much longer email and posting as to why and how I believe this to be the case, but really I probably just began to scratch the surface as to what could be said about such things as this.

The more we can do to address any of these things or areas will help substantially almost across the board; but we will have to begin to make much more rapid changes almost immediately and across all sectors if we are truly going to stave off world wide catastrophe for both humans and many other plant and animal species on our planet home - and what a shame it would be if it comes to that.

Thanks for your considerations,

Rob Wheeler