Subject: Mersey Basin Dissertation

From: [email-masked] (rob & gill)
Date: Sun, 12 May 1996 21:58:23 +0100

Greetings !!

I have just uploaded my rescently completed dissertation, From Sacred to
Stinking - The Appropriation of Bioregionalism to Holistic Restoration; Case
Study : The Mersey Basin.

It is approx 10,000 words and may be found on the Web at:

http://www.u-net.com/~yesyou/bio/visitor.htm

Please let me know what you think of it. For those whome this does not
concern, I apologise for cross posting.

Here is the abstract:

Since the birth of the Industrial Revolution bioregions around the Planet
have become increasingly degraded, with locally diverse  ecosystems and
cultural systems being replaced by homogenous systems founded within the
parallel paradigms of western science, technology and capitalism.
Environmentalism has failed to break the cultural 'monopoly' of the dominant
knowledge system, yet as reductionist science is integrated with more
holistic ways of viewing the environment, peoples around the globe are 
collectively beginning to realise that it may be possible to reinstate
alternative societies to the 'destructoculture' which is causing so much damage.

In order for this to happen, we must acquire a heightened awareness of the
place within which we live , it's history, the species we share with and the
natural processes that effect the region. With urbanisation ever expanding,
this wisdom applies particularly to city dwellers. There are many
indications that societies around the planet are heading towards 
a more decentralised form. At the forefront of evolutionary social and
ecological change is the New Urbanism which is synthesising the concept of
the village with urban environments in order to instigate a 'green city'
programme. Within this new world order much of the decision making power of
the centralised nation state is transferred into a culture of empowered
individuals and communities. Since the 1980's, bioregionalism has 
recognised  and attempted to integrate these factors into the mainstream.

In Section II, I present a case study of the place within which I live and
work; the Mersey Basin bioregion.   I describe the natural features of this
place, including it's geology, flora and fauna and water systems. I then
outline the anthropogenically derived features such as urbanism, population
distribution and the institutions whose job it is to manage the natural 
elements of the region. I finish by outlining the 11 year old Mersey Basin
project, detailing some of it's achievements and future objectives. 

Regards,

Rob
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                         Rob Squires of CTCSystems 
                     
                    Gill Ellison - Age Concern St.Helens
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