(The ability to read what is going on in an environment, in an ecological context rather than from a human or personal perspective)
"The Dunham River during the wet season. Soil is by far the largest export in the Kimberley."
WHY THE NEED FOR ENVIRONMENTAL LITERACY? (Much of what we say and do is related to the Kimberley context, but the relevance often extends beyond our sphere of influence.)
A FEW EXAMPLES: * How much money is spent on this planet reacting to the influence of global climate change on our human water supply? * How many people (scientists and leaders included) are aware of how, with what amounts to our "collective mismanagement", we are reducing the effectiveness of "water cycles" (largely a biological process) to "convection and flood" (largely a physical process)? * How many people are aware that both processes are driven by solar energy, and that with our landscape management we favour either one or the other? * How many people realise that global climate change has more to do with how we manage our soils and landscapes than with modern pollution or physical forces that we cannot control?
Paralleles between Environmental Literacy and Musical Literacy
BASIC OR FUNDAMENTAL LEVEL: (HEARING THERE IS A RHYME, TUNE OR PATTERN) The awareness of: - "Holism" (Nature functions in "wholes"; in whole situations, or in patterns; we cannot meaningfully isolate parts) - Our role in the one ECO-SYSTEM (which consists of many environments) - The four fundamental processes which determine all biological activity - The true meaning of the word "BIODIVERSITY" - Where to look for answers
GENERAL LEVEL: (THE ABILITY TO READ NOTES AND TO PLAY OR SING THEM) The ability to recognise: - a particular environment and to know its main characteristics - the effectiveness with which the fundamental processes are functioning - the role of "edge effect"; influence on "community dynamics" and the "carbon cycle" - the management tools available to us and how they might be applied - the difference between an "holistic approach" and "a process for managing holistically" - what management models are currently available to us and where to find out about them - the role of "solar economics" and the meaning of "triple bottom line" - why in the long term, "systems" will always fail (when living things are involved)
MANAGEMENT LEVEL: (THE ABILITY TO COMPOSE, WRITE AND PLAY / SING A SONG) The ability to knowingly manipulate environmental processes to favour a predetermined outcome, to monitor progress and to effectively react when required.
PLANNING LEVEL: (THE ABILITY TO COMPOSE AND TO CONDUCT A SYMPHONY) The skills, experience and support required to assist at regional and national policy levels.
