There is an interesting thing about living in a rural area. All at once you are surrounded by so much biodiversity, as well as so many challenges. Living in the rural periphery has opened my eyes about a lot of things, especially answering questions about why people do what they do, something I struggled with understanding while a student in economics at a rural Wisconsin university.
But rural people are logical too, on the margin, and once you get your boots in the mud, the beauty, the wonder, and the challenge confront you.
Once I was asked "how often" we had to fix the road, and to be honest, the answer is "every year, multiple times". We can also say "until its done", but due to time, use and rain things also get undone over time. So we establish a culture, with our community, to be constantly fixing and improving, little by little and bit by bit.
So there is hope each day! And in our remote region of the world, the rainy season is starting to end, each morning the sunrises are getting even more tempting, once again. Perhaps I am finally feeling rested up from all my travels, as I am waking up earlier and earlier once again, eager to see the sun rise and for the day to start.
Now, not every participant in nature's ecosystems has the same ideas, about land use, about aesthetics, about logistics - here are some leaf cutter ants that ate up a whole plot of lillies that I had planted for my wife. I enjoy these sort of unexpected surprises, and I am working on a youtube video more about leaf cutter ants specifically.
For now though I will say, I am pleasantly surprised by how our diverse ecosystem of an agroforestry system has stood up to these "ravenous invaders", who for other farmers engaging in monoculture can often be a year-ending plague.
So we keep restoring! More species, more gardens, more trees and bushes. And yes, more pretty flower pictures. Part of restoration is sustainability for human populations, we cannot forget that we are part of these ecosystems, and so a properly functioning ecosystem will support us too. That includes transport, logistics and yes, aesthetics.
Freedom and Friendship
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About the AuthorAlex Trapp -
Tropical high-mountain agroforestry and productive ecological restoration in Líbano, Tolima, Colombia.
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