Environment and Ecology

Water Retention Landscapes as an Answer to Desertification and Globalization - Tamera is Semi-Finalist of the 2012 Buckminster Fuller Challenge

Dear GEN Friends,

tomorrow, on 22nd of March, the world celebrates the International Day of Water.

Some facts:

In September 2010, the UN has made water to a human right.

Still more than 1 billion people have no access to sufficient clean drinking water.

1,8 million children die every year because of diseases caused by unsufficient drinking water.

For making space for the 45.000 large dams worldwide 40 to 60 million people have lost their homes.

However there are good news, there are alternatives and models for a natural and decentralized water management which show how to overcome the worldwide water crisis. Water itself shows us the way how to make a change.

 Water Retention Landscapes as an Answer to Desertification and Globalization

In the Alternative World Water Forum, taking place from 12 - 17 of March in Marseille, the Peace Research Community Tamera (Portugal) presented the Water Retention Landscapes as an Answer to Desertification and Globalization.

They are built with natural materials (earth and clay) in natural shapes. They keep the water of the rainy seasons locally on the land and give it time to soak into the ground. They bring back fertility to the whole surrounding environment, allow forests to grow and communities to produce their food. After five years of experience with building a Water Retention Landscape in the Tamera Peace Research Center (Portugal) under the guidance of the ecological visionary and mountain farmer Sepp Holzer, we see its incredible effects: Fertility and biodiversity are returning. On the shore terraces an abundance of organic food grows throughout the year. This method can be applied in every climate zone and region ‒ even where today there is only destroyed nature and eroded wasteland.

The Tamera Water Retention Landscape was selected as a semi-finalist for the 2012 Buckminster Fuller Challenge. More information:

http://www.tamera.org/fileadmin/PDF/PDF2/Tamera_Press_Release_SemiFinalists.pdf

Video "Water is Life": http://youtu.be/4hF2QL0D5ww

To communicate this concept, Tamera has invited specialists and decision makers of many countries to the 2nd International Water Symposium on April 26 - 29. More information here:

http://www.verlag-meiga.org/sites/verlag-meiga.org/files/Wassersymposium_Mail.pdf

There will be a One Day Seminar with Sepp Holzer on April 25. More information: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it