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separate from the natural world ... this approach has narrowed foresight; no longer can we see the potential for ecological reconciliation. Instead, we only see the 'enemy.'" Genetic diversity is the total number of genetic characteristics in the genetic makeup of a species, it ranges widely from the number of species to dif- ferences within species and can be attributed to the span of survival for a species. Let's contrast these metaphors with those of our First Nations people. They speak instead of "fire knowledge holders" and "becoming part of coun- try." Note the difference in metaphor use.Accord- ing to Gordon, these differences in metaphor use reflect competing discourses. The former is born of colonialism "and hence carries heavy militaris- tic symbolism." He says, "this is not a reflection of the individuals who have spoken these words, so much as it is a reflection of a society still gripped with colonial power. This power dynamic is clear in the metaphors as they reinforce independence, specialisation and control. They align with common conceptual metaphors that shape western thinking on nature." The Principles of Regenerative Agriculture are what underpin the practices and should guide your actions. They include: • Think holistically • Think ecologically and understand complex, adaptive systems • Be comfortable in ambiguity • Have the capacity for continuous, transforma- tive learning • Make place-based decisions, within bio-regions • Understand that human cultures are co-evolv- ing with their environments • Acknowledge and involve diverse ways of know- ing and being in landscapes • Participate in cultural and ecological reconcili- ation My personal approach to agriculture is to work with nature and do my best to understand the les-
the mistakes, learn from them and use this experi- ence to help others with the process. Carbon co-ops like the ones currently being developed in Northern NSW, are now my focus for creating change, impact and scale. In a nut-shell, the co-operative structure will ensure profits remain with farmers whilst they walk this often complex journey together. At the heart of it, we need to decide whether we’re going to continue trying to dominate and control the ecosystem, or accept that we’re part of that system; integrated within the web of life. This decision starts with the way we use language, par- ticularly how we frame our current crisis. For example, metaphors used by a former fire Chief when speaking about the 2019 Australian bushfires were, in my opinion, unfortunate i.e. "The enemy is geared up ... it's like [the enemy's] suddenly got nuclear weapons." He then remarked that, "climate change was the enemy"! This was echoed by another former fire Chief who went fur- ther suggesting "national military-style training" to deal with the "locality of battles in a greater climate change war." I applaud the efforts of our country’s brave fire- fighters and have personally worked beside them in the recent NSW bushfires. However, I never thought for one moment that we were at “war” with Nature. Indeed, as the Indigenous fire practitioner and au- thor, Victor Steffensen says, "the only reason we are seeing all this degradation to landscape is not just because of climate change, but it's because of bad management." Interesting we are seeing the same sort of narrative unfold with COVID-19, using mil- itary language such as “at war” and “fight the virus” only to learn the hard way that we are going to need to live with it and adapt our lifestyles accordingly. In a recent article by PhD Candidate Ethan Gor- don at the UTS Institute for Sustainable Futures, “How Language shapes our Landscape Decision Making” he asks "what is the consequence of treat- ing ecological systems, that are in distress because of human actions, as if they are a nuclear enemy? To fight and destroy the environment is to fight and destroy ourselves. Human beings are in no way
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