L'ÀPAT

13 S ustainability or R egeneration? Brief introduction to the concept of sustainable regeneration B y definition, the word "regen- erate" means to restore what has degenerated or been de- stroyed. It is as simple as that. It has taken a long time for human- ity to begin to realise the tremen- dous damage that our modern way of life has caused to practically all our planet's ecosystems. Now sustaina- bility is no longer enough, and thus it is necessary to talk of regenerating, restoring the balance and working on the assumption that there is no other option for survival than to re- spect the environment we live in and the already fragile and deteriorated relations of domination and abuse towards other species. To reverse the damage. It is no longer enough to continue destroying. It is about re-creating the right con- ditions for life to thrive; a concept known in agriculture as permacul- ture based on prioritising soil health, enhancing biodiversity and holistic ecosystem restoration. The Brundtland Report 1 published in 1987, made the world realise that eco- nomic and social progress was taking place at a staggering environmental cost. It was in this report that for the first time the term "sustainable de- velopment" and the imperative need to incorporate it into international UN policy was officially introduced. Thirty-two years later, in 2019, the UN put the focus on protecting and regenerating all the world's ecosys- tems, proposing to abandon linear economic systems and replace them with circular and collaborative econ- omies. “The power and majesty of nature in all its aspects are lost in the one that only contemplates it in the detail of its parts and not as a whole”. Pliny the Elder (c. 23-79) © Castell de Raymat Photo / Foto David del Val