commons

This paper documents features of the traditional systems of shamilat van or forest commons in the Siwalik forests of the Punjab and analyses their contribution to the agro-ecosystems of both local agriculturalists and pastoralists and the reciprocal system of rights, rules, and responsibilities devised by the users to ensure the survival of the forests.

Wild Earth 6, no. 2 features Bill McKibben on nature writing and common ground, Laura Westra writes about ecosystem integrity, sustainability, and the “Fish Wars”, and W. O. Pruitt explains “The Caribou Commons.”

Jeremy Irons leads the viewer around the world as he explores the worst effects of the amount of waste humans produce, and what can be done about it.

This book tells the stories of urban do-it-yourself activists contesting conventional conditions of production and consumption through urban gardening sites, open repair workshops, fab labs, and share-and-swap events.

In his article, Walter K. Dodds tries to answer the question of whether we can control humanity’s hitherto endless appetite for resources before we irreparably harm the global ecosystem and cause the extinction of even more species.

This essay argues that reproductive liberty should not be considered a fundamental human right, or certainly not an indefeasible right, but that it should, instead, be strictly regulated by a global agreement designed to reduce population to a sustainable level.

The anthropocentric ethic implicit in all solutions regarding global commons is contrasted with the ecocentric one which may be necessary to preserve the biosphere in the future.

This volume provides a renewed vision of the issue of collective properties, an issue previously distorted by passions, and now mostly forgotten.