What Is Regenerative Land Management And Why It Is Important?
Regenerative Land Management becomes increasingly popular. I want to clarify what it is, clean up with some of the myths and make it understandable and accessible for everybody.
Understanding the true nature of it, however, requires us having a look at the basics first. By definition, Regenerative Land Management describes practices that restore Soil Organic Matter in Topsoil. Soil Organic Matter is plant and animal matter in various stages of decomposition and provides the housing and food for our Soil Biology. Soil Biology is all bacteria, fungi, and microorganisms, which live underground. They are the driving force for all life – above and below ground – and even in the air.
Soil Organic Matter and its Soil Biology make the difference between soil and dirt. Soils without any Soil Organic Matter are infertile – think the Saharan desert.
In Australia and globally we lose more topsoil every year than we generate, at the alarming rate of ten. If we keep going like this, we have another 30 to 40 harvests left, in many areas in the world far less.
Man – despite his artistic pretensions, his sophistication, and his many accomplishments – owes his existence to a six-inch layer of topsoil and the fact that it rains. – Paul Harvey
If unchanged, this development will have far-reaching consequences for us humans, as Soil Biology is vital to many aspects of our lives. It plays a critical role in food production, nutrient density, and food security. It affects biodiversity, water-holding capacity in the soil, having an impact on droughts, floods and mitigating bushfire risks. Soil Biology does play an essential part in soil integrity, preventing erosion and landslides. Above all, it has a direct impact on our immune system and our mental health. Last but not least, Soil Biology is vital for Carbon storage below and above ground.
All of these ecological cycles correlate and affect one another.
Generally, Regenerative Land Management is associated with Agriculture – yet all Land can and should get managed regeneratively.
I want to push Regenerative Land Management much further; footy ovals, roadsides, golf courses, solar farms, backyards, you name it. I cannot see one single reason against managing all those places regeneratively.
Wherever there is dirt, there should be soil.
In my next articles, I will visit each role of Soil Biology and how it affects us. I will describe what we can do to stop losing our vital allies underground and how we can start building up soil organic matter and soil biology, each and every one of us.
I will demonstrate that the solutions are at our fingertips, low cost, easy to understand and to replicate – on small as well as on a large scale.
I am looking forward to taking you on this journey.
Stefanie Hildmann
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