ecosystems anD DeathDo we have to have so many bad ones? asked thewell-meaning teacher.Wewerebeing taken througha role-play of ecosystem interactions at a scienceteachersconference.Agreatactivity,bytheway.Eachofusrepresentedaspecies.Weweretossingaballofwoolbetweenusinordertoformarepresentationofthewebof relationships inanecosystem.Witheachtoss of thewool the thrower declaredwhat type ofinteraction the new link in the web represented.Naturally, themostcommon typeof interactionwaspredation.

To this teacher, and a handful of others whoconcurred,predationisbad.

Asenvironmentalists,youandIvalueecosystems.But in all ecosystems, predation is rampant. If oneanimaldeathbypredationisbad,thenthemasskillingthatceaselesslyoccurs ineverynaturalecosystem isindescribablyevil.

Furthermore,thisevilistherule,nottheexception.Exploitative relationships between organisms arefundamental to ecosystems. All species except forplants relycompletelyuponsome formofpredationinordertoprovidethematerialstobuildtheirbodiesandtheenergytopower them.Plantskilleachother,too,throughcompetition.Mutualismexists,buteventhat is inherently extractive; itsmotivation (throughselectionpressure)isthegetting,notthegiving.

Thats just how ecosystems are. If we valueecosystems, we cannot possibly nd overwhelmingevil in the processes that underpin them. Eitherwerewrong tovalueecosystemsor,whenall thingsare considered, death in the context of ecology isgood.Deathprovides food tootherorganisms.Deathfrees resources for future generations, an essentialcomponent of a sustainable, nite system. Deathmakeswayforreproductionandthecreationofgeneticdiversity.Deathbeforereproductionprovidesselectionpressure, shaping diversity into evolution. As GarySnydersays, Thereis nodeaththatisnotsomebodysfood,nolifethatisnotsomebodysdeath.

Mostpeopleunderstand thatecosystems functionthisway.Yet,asthestoryaboveillustrates,manypeopleremain deeply uncomfortable with predation. Theusualresponseisdenial-theconceptionofecosystemsasaharmoniouscooperativeofpeacefulcreatures.Adenaturednature,asinBambiorFinding Nemo.

Where is the harm in this comfortablefantasy? Firstly, hidden beneath the denial is adeep-seated ambivalence aboutnature as it actuallyis. Secondly, this fantasy writes humans out of

ecosystems: if it isbadtopreyorbepreyedupon,toconsume or be consumed, then themost importantmodesofecosystemparticipationareillegitimateandtheonlyethicalchoiceisalienation.

Be it or lose itIt is a truism in the environmental movement thatenvironmentalprotectionisamatterofloveitorloseit.

But for me, the need goes further: we must beit or lose it.Wemust see human beings as part ofnature;asanimalslivinginecosystems,beingpartofecosystems. Until our culture makes this shift,the ecological crisis we have wrought willcontinue to accelerate. Not until we identify withnaturewillwetrulyprotectecosystems,notmerelyaswewouldaprizedpossession,butaswewouldafamilymember.

This is not justmy point of view. It is central tothe worldview of many indigenous cultures and isprominent in the environment movement. Humanbeingsarepartofthenaturalworld,afrmstheopeningsentence of the Australian Greens EnvironmentalPrinciples Policy. Identifying humans primarily asecosystemparticipants isapillarstoneofthebroad-based deep ecology movement, with particularemphasisgiventothisaspectbywritersGarySnyderandPaulShepard.Itisalsothestartingpointofecofeministanalysis for Australian philosopher Val Plumwood,whoidentiesthehuman/naturedualismofWesterncultureasthesourcebothoftheecologicalcrisisandofourdenialofhumaninclusioninthefoodweb.

This is a message that has been out therefor decades, but has failed to gain tractionbeyond environmentalists.Why is this? To me, theanswerisclear.Ourdailyexistenceisnotecological.Itis socio-cultural, and increasingly, economic. Ourecosystem interactions are totally mediated bydistant third parties. We seldom even enter wildecosystems, and when we do, we piously look butdonttouch.

We live indenialmostespeciallyofdeath. Inourown deaths,we strive to deny ecosystems the feastof our corpse. Even so-called green burials excludescavenginganimals,restrictingthebountytomicrobialdecomposers.Perhapsthegreatestecologicaltravestyof all, our food is commodied and distributed bynetworks of strangers, denying proper ecologicalrealisationbothtohumansandtotheorganismsweeat.AsValPlumwoodputit,allourfoodissouls.Duerespecttothegravityofsuchanecologicalexchange

PARTICIPATORY ECOLOGY

be it, or lose it! human beings need to see themselves as part of ecosystems, otherWise the ecological crisis We have created Will continue to accelerate

Writes greens supporter, RUSSEL EDWARDS.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

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surely demands that both parties participate,consciouslyanddirectly.

To genuinely see ourselves as ecosystemparticipants requires, obviously, that we actuallyparticipateinecosystems.Directly.Inhands-onwaysthat reignite the genetic memory we all possess ofhumankinds natural ecosystem roles. Those rolesevolved over millions of years to equip us not aseconomicconsumers,orevenasfarmers,butashunter-gatherers.Toparticipateauthentically inecosystems,atleastoccasionally(andalwayssustainably)wemustenter intactwild ecosystems and spend some timeobtaining our basicneeds from them.Wemust ndshelter there,gatherwoodandwarmourselvesbyarethere.Wemustsleepthere,eatandexcretethere.Andcrucially,whatweeatmustcomefromthere.Wemustforageandwemusthunt.

Ah, the sharpdrawing of breath. Its a sound Imsadly familiar with since I came, some years ago,to the realisation above, quit being vegan and tookup hunting.There isnt space here to pre-empt thecriticism this will draw. Ill let my argument abovestandforitself.

Policy reform neeDeDAustralia desperately needs what the Greens alonehave to offer: a genuine commitment to govern inthe best interests of society and the environment,unbeholdentobigbusinessornarrowself-interest.Butwhen it comes to ecosystemparticipation, itspolicypositionsfallshort.

We must defend the right of every creature,includinghumans,toengageinafullrangeofnaturalecosystem interactions. Greens policy demands thiswhen it comes to non-human animals, but supportfor human ecosystem participation is lacking. TheEnvironmentalPrinciplespolicyshouldbeaugmentedto explicitly support sustainable, direct ecosystemparticipation, including extractive activities such asnon-commercial (subsistence) foraging, hunting andshing,withthisbeinglinkedtotheexistingopeningPrinciple thathumanbeingsarepartof thenaturalworld.Thisbasicecologicalrightshouldbeextendedtoeveryone,notjustindigenouspeople.

To support this change, it isnecessary to removeanovertattackon thisright thatcurrentlystands inGreenspolicy.TheAnimalspolicycalls forabanonrecreationalshootingofallanimals.Presumablythiswould apply to conscientious subsistence hunters.Speaking formyself, recreation - literally to createanew - isa fairdescriptionof thespiritualrenewal Ind in ecosystemparticipation.And shooting is themosthumanemethodofhuntingavailabletome.

For this reason, conscience prevents me frombecomingamemberofTheGreensat this time.ButIreallyhopethatthosememberswhocanseeevenakerneloftruthinthispositionwillrecognisearightsviolationwhentheyseeit,andspeakuptorectifyit.IlookforwardtothedaywhenIcanjointhefold.

poSt ElEctIon q&a

cr nEIl JonES, orangE cItY coUncIlYour role in the lead up to the election?As a member of the Central West Greens campaign committee, a small, yet dedicated committee of seven, i was involved in organising a campaign, media relations and planning for election-day in the electorate of Calare in nsW. Calare is predominantly a rural farming and grazing electorate of 30,526 sq km - an enormous area to cover.

positive things to come out of this election?Quite frankly, not many! Although, personally, i feel stronger than ever in my resolve to be a voice for regional cities, towns, farms, rural communities and the environment which will all suffer from Coalition policies and actions. A drop of 25% in rst preference Green votes in Calare was disappointing. in my view this is attributable largely to a perception from middle age and older former supporters that the Greens had failed to push hard enough on environmental and sustainability issues; issues that drew them to the Greens at previous elections, and that the Greens had become too closely aligned to the labor Party. The election result also reinforced my belief that policies and election strategies must be supported by the endorsement of candidates who have strong connections with their local communities.

What will you be doing over the next three years to stand up for what matters?My focus over the next three years will be to help reinvigorate Greens membership in regional and rural nsW. i will also be working to show leadership and activism on climate change, renewable energy and environmental sustainability in the face of coal seam gas and mining expansion, natural resource abuse and exploitation, and federal legislative changes. The voice of regional Australia must be taken to Canberra with more direct action. The opportunity to capitalise on increasing community concern through the promotion and expansion of the Country Greens network must be acted on.

What direction should we head in now?The Greens must return to greater grass roots contribution by members to develop policy and, more importantly, the implementation of policy by elected representatives at local, state and federal level. While the development of positive and progressive policies across the political spectrum are important to the broad acceptance of the Greens as a viable alternative, the Greens must respect and never lose sight of its origins and the issues that resonate with the people who share our vision for a healthy environment and a caring society.

readThe Eye of the Crocodile by plumwood, V. Man in the Landscape by shepard, p. The Practice of the Wild by snyder, g.

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