Human Permaculture by Bernard Alonso

Author:Bernard Alonso
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: New Society Publishers

TO FIND OUT MORE: Sebastião Salgado has created many books and photo expositions. Le Sel de la Terre, a documentary film produced by Wim Wenders in 2014, charts Salgado’s journey. For information on the Instituto Terra, visit institutoterra.org.

INSPIRING EXAMPLE

Planting forests to save oysters!

Shigeatsu Hatakeyama is a Japanese oyster farmer. In 1989, his oysters became unfit for consumption following a red algae infestation. In response, he observed, investigated, and found an original solution to the problem.

The man now known as “Grandpa Oyster” noticed that the toxic red algae were feeding on pollution from the neighboring river. This reminded him of a trip he had taken in the French department of Loire-Atlantique a few years earlier. He observed that the broadleaf forests on the banks of the Loire River naturally filtered terrestrial rainwater while the river carried the nutrients that oysters fed on out to sea. He realized then that the ecosystem could only be understood in a holistic sense. “The solution consists of rebuilding the ecosystem, from the land to the sea,” he decided. “Humus is needed to feed oysters!” (Humus contains iron and fulvic acid, which allow for photosynthesis and the fixing of chlorophyll on the plankton that the oysters feed on.) He brought the local mayors and residents together — knowing it was impossible to accomplish his aim unless everyone living along the river shared the same vision and values. And he proposed that a broadleaf forest be planted upstream of the estuary. Farmers joined in, a local poet created a movement under the banner “The forest is longing for the sea; the sea is longing for the forest,” and the miracle was performed: gradually, the water quality improved and oyster farming was able to begin again. Now, over 25 years later, 30,000 trees have been planted along the river, and programs to reduce pesticide usage in crops and to regulate runoff are being run. The story is famous all across the country and on other continents as well. Today it is included in school programs in Japan. Every year, 10,000 children are invited to the site to plant trees and learn about the relationships between human activities, the river water, the soil, the forest, and the ocean. Kyoto University has created a department that straddles the disciplines of forestry and ocean studies. And the ingenious oyster farmer received the United Nations Forest Hero Award.

After the tsunami devastated the region in 2011, Shigeatsu Hatakeyama observed that the ocean was devoid of life. A few months later, he and his team were surprised at how quickly the underwater world bounced back to life. Such resilience was possible because there was a complete, complex, and balanced ecosystem. This is an encouraging example for oyster farmers and foresters who are prepared to cooperate.

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