Earth Restoration Project

 

In practical terms, ecological restoration consists of helping to reconnect the strands in the web of life which have been severed by the impact of present day industrial consumer society and swelling human numbers.

However, the practice of ecological restoration also provides a meaningful reconnecting experience for people, by helping to reestablish or deepen some of the most important personal links in their lives.

 

 
At a time when many people are separated from nature through urban living etc., taking part in practical ecological restoration projects offers a significant opportunity to reconnect in a direct, hands on manner with the natural world.

 

 
Ecological restoration is of necessity site specific, and demands an intimate knowledge of the ecosystem which is to be restored. As a result, people involved in restoration gain an enhanced sense of place and connection with the land they work on.

 

 
Our present day society is in many ways death-oriented, through such things as our chemical assault on nature with herbicides, insecticides and pesticides, and through the mass media's fixation with violence and crime. By contrast, ecological restoration is focussed on nurturing and enhancing life, and as such provides a meaningful opportunity for people to experience these important qualities firsthand.

 

 
In contrast to the adversarial nature of the campaigning environmental movement and political systems etc, ecological restoration involves cooperation at all levels. Taking part in restoration projects enables diverse people to discover that they have a shared concern and care for the planet, and this often has the effect of establishing meaningful and long-lasting connections between them.

 

 
A common perception amongst many people today is that of helplessness - an inability to effect any significant change in the world, in the face of problems such as pollution and environmental destruction. Apathy or depression are widespread. Because restoration involves returning life to degraded ecosystems, it works with the intrinsic power of nature to heal itself, and the positive results of this can help people to realise the power they have to make a difference in the world.

 

 
As a self-regulating system, the Earth has an inherent ability to heal itself, but in much of the world this healing process is impaired or prevented by human activities. When we begin to work, through ecological restoration, with the process of healing, rather than against it, we can enhance and accelerate it in the landscape, and also experience that quality working within ourselves.

 

 
With the problems of environmental degradation, extinction of species and cultural alienation from nature increasing daily, the qualities of hope and a positive vision are absent from many people's thoughts or expectations for the future. By offering a solution to at least some of the destruction which has been inflicted upon the Earth, the practice of ecological restoration stimulates, inspires and strengthens hope in people.

 

In contrast to the world views of most traditional cultures, our industrial consumer society, with its materialistic and mechanistic basis, separates spirituality from nature and the Earth, and often from personal experience as well. Ecological restoration, through its effect of reconnecting people with nature, life and healing, can also help people to reestablish, or deepen, their personal connection with spirit - in themselves, in each other and in nature.