bioregionalism
Watershed-based political organization
Bioregionalism is a political and ecological philosophy that organizes human activity around natural geographic boundaries—watersheds, mountain ranges, ecosystems—rather than arbitrary political borders.
Advocates argue that communities should align with the land they inhabit, developing local food systems, governance, and culture suited to their particular place: The bioregionalism movement emphasizes knowing your watershed the way you know your neighborhood.
Sustainable ecosystem design method
- renewableCapable of restoration
- organicFrom living matter
- compostingDecomposing organic matter deliberately
- regenerativeAble to renew itself
resilience · self-sufficiency · agroecology · locavore · low-impact · closed-loop · homesteading · rewilding
Interconnected organisms and surroundings
- biodiversityRange of life forms
- watershedDrainage area boundary
- biomeMajor ecological community
- habitatOrganism's natural environment
flora · fauna · endemic · keystone · ecotone · foodweb · species · interdependence
Drainage area boundary
- landformsNatural geographic features
- topographyPhysical feature mapping
- geographyStudy of places
- territoryLand under jurisdiction
locality · place-based · climate · terroir · mapping · boundaries · homeland · indigenous
Common people as political base
- inhabitantsPermanent occupants of place
- solidarityUnity among allies
- cooperationJoint action toward shared aims
- collectiveJointly organized group
kinship · networks · participation · belonging · stewardship · residents · settlements · traditions
Distributing power from center
- autonomyIndependent decision-making capacity
- self-determinationControl over one's fate
- eco-socialismEnvironmentalist leftist political theory
- ecofeminismTheory linking female oppression, ecological destruction
Cascadia · secession · governance · sovereignty · devolution · anti-globalization
permaculture
Sustainable ecosystem design method
- renewableCapable of restoration
- organicFrom living matter
- compostingDecomposing organic matter deliberately
regenerative · resilience · self-sufficiency · agroecology · locavore · low-impact · closed-loop · homesteading · rewilding · restoration
ecosystem
Interconnected organisms and surroundings
- biodiversityRange of life forms
- watershedDrainage area boundary
- biomeMajor ecological community
habitat · flora · fauna · endemic · keystone · ecotone · foodweb · species · interdependence · niche
watershed
Drainage area boundary
- landformsNatural geographic features
- topographyPhysical feature mapping
- geographyStudy of places
territory · locality · place-based · climate · terroir · mapping · boundaries · homeland · indigenous · ethnobotany
grassroots
Common people as political base
- inhabitantsPermanent occupants of place
- solidarityUnity among allies
- cooperationJoint action toward shared aims
collective · kinship · networks · participation · belonging · stewardship · residents · settlements · traditions · identity
decentralization
Distributing power from center
- autonomyIndependent decision-making capacity
- self-determinationControl over one's fate
- eco-socialismEnvironmentalist leftist political theory
ecofeminism · Cascadia · secession · governance · sovereignty · devolution · anti-globalization
bioregionalismcolonial borders
Boundaries imposed by occupiers
gerrymandering · federal system · imperialism · county lines
bioregionalismglobalization
Worldwide economic and cultural integration
free trade · neoliberalism · corporate capitalism · industrial capitalism · global supply chains
bioregionalismresource exploitation
Using available materials up
industrialism · rootlessness · placelessness · anthropocentrism · deterritorialization