- SANDLETON
- South Australia
to safeguarding a rich diversity of Mallee life
Nicolaus Copernicus, 1473-1543, published “On the revolutions of the celestial spheres” which displaced the idea that the earth was the centre of the universe. Just as we learned that our planet was not the centre of the universe, we now need to learn that humans are not the centre of life on earth.
If we want to understand how our planet works and how to ensure that life on earth can remain stable in the wake of human impact, we need to utilise the studies of ecology.
Three basic laws of ecology should guide human behaviour, if we are to live in harmony with our fellow species, or at least if we want our species to survive.
All life forms are interdependent: Prey is as dependent on predators for population control as predators are dependent on prey for food supply.
Stability of ecosystems is dependent on their diversity (complexity): An ecosystem that contains 100 species is more stable than an ecosystem that contains only three species. For example, complex tropical rain forests are more stable than fragile arctic tundra.
All resources (food, water, air, minerals, energy) are finite and there are limits to the growth of all living systems.
This leads us to the philosophy behind setting aside natural areas for the Sanctuary of fauna and flora. We strongly support the “Declaration of Interdependence” written by David Suzuki and others for the UN Earth Summit held in Rio de Janeiro in 1992.
We believe that it sums up our choices as individuals and as a species. Do we act responsibly for future generations, or do we act selfishly for the moment, (the latter leads to destruction of the environment and ultimately our own species).
“We are the earth, through the plants and animals that nourish us. We are the rains and the oceans that flow through our veins. We are the breath of the forests of the land, and the plants of the sea. We are human animals, related to all other life as descendants of the first born cell. We share with these kin a common history, written in our genes. We share a common present, filled with uncertainty. And we share a common future, as yet untold. We humans are but one of thirty million species weaving the thin layer of life enveloping the world. The stability of communities of living things depends upon this diversity. Linked in that web, we are interconnected-using, cleansing, sharing and replenishing the fundamental elements of life. Our home, planet Earth, is finite, all life shares its resources and the energy from the sun, and therefore has limits to growth. For the first time, we have touched these limits. When we compromise the air, the water, the soil and the variety of life, we steal from the endless future to serve the fleeting present. We may deny these things, but we cannot change them.”
“All this that we know and believe must now become the foundation of the way we live. At this turning point in our relationship with Earth, we work for an evolution from dominance to partnership, from fragmentation to connection, from insecurity to interdependence.”
