Bioregion

A bioregion is a geographical area, on land or at sea, defined not by administrative boundaries but by distinct characteristics such as plant and animal species, ecological systems, soils and landforms, human settlements and cultures those attributes give rise to, and topographic features such as watersheds.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8] The idea of bioregions were adopted and popularized in the mid-1970s by a school of philosophy called Bioregionalism, which includes the concept that human culture, in practice, can influence bioregional definitions.[9] Bioregions are part of a nested series of ecological scales, generally starting with local watersheds, growing into larger river systems, then Level III or IV Ecoregions (or regional ecosystems), bioregions, then biogeographical Realm, followed by the continental-scale and ultimately the biosphere.[10][11]

Within the life sciences, there are numerous methods used to define the physical limits of a bioregion based on the spatial extent of mapped ecological phenomena -- from Species Distributions and hydrological systems (i.e. Watersheds) to topographic features (e.g. Landforms) and climate zones (e.g. Köppen Classification). Bioregions also provide an effective framework in the field of Environmental history, which seeks to use "river systems, ecozones, or mountain ranges as the basis for understanding the place of human history within a clearly delineated environmental context".[12] A bioregion can also have a distinct cultural identity[13][8] defined, for example, by Indigenous Peoples whose historical, mythological and biocultural connections to their lands and waters shape an understanding of place and territorial extent.[14] Within the context of bioregionalism, bioregions can be socially constructed by modern-day communities for the purposes of better understanding a place "... with the aim to live in that place sustainably and respectfully."[15]

Bioregions have practical applications in the study of Biology, Biocultural Anthropology, Biogeography, Biodiversity, Bioeconomics[disambiguation needed], Bioregionalism, Bioregional Financing Facilities, Bioregional Mapping, Community Health, Ecology, Environmental history, Environmental science, Foodsheds, Geography, Natural Resource Management, Urban Ecology, Urban Planning.[16][17] References to the term "bioregion" in scholarly literature have grown exponentially since the introduction of the term -- from a single research paper in 1971 to approximately 65,000 journal articles and books published to date.[18] Governments and multilateral institutions have utilized bioregions in mapping Ecosystem Services and tracking progress towards conservation objectives, such as ecosystem representation.[19]

  1. ^ "Definition of Bioregion". www.merriam-webster.com. Retrieved 26 July 2024.
  2. ^ "Bioregion". Cambridge Dictionary.
  3. ^ "Bioregion". Collins Dictionary.
  4. ^ "bioregion". Oxford Reference.
  5. ^ McGinnis, Michael Vincent (2000). "The Bioregional Quest for Community". Landscape Journal. 19 (1/2): 84–88. doi:10.3368/lj.19.1-2.84. JSTOR 43324335.
  6. ^ Lang, William L. (2002). "Bioregionalism and the History of Place". Oregon Historical Quarterly. 103 (4): 414–419. JSTOR 20615274.
  7. ^ Robbins, William G. (2002). "Bioregional and Cultural Meaning: The Problem with the Pacific Northwest". Oregon Historical Quarterly. 103 (4): 419–427. JSTOR 20615275.
  8. ^ a b Byrkit, James W. (1992). "Land, Sky, and People: The Southwest Defined". Journal of the Southwest. 34 (3): 256–387. JSTOR 40169868.
  9. ^ McGinnis, Michael, ed. (4 November 1998). Bioregionalism (1st ed.). Routledge. ISBN 9780203984765.
  10. ^ "Level III and IV Ecoregions of the Continental United States". www.epa.gov. 25 November 2015. Retrieved 26 July 2024.
  11. ^ Noss, Reed F. (1994). "Building a Wilderness Recovery Network". The George Wright Forum. 11 (4): 17–40. JSTOR 43598878.
  12. ^ Spence, Mark (2002). "Bioregions and Nation-States: Lessons from Lewis and Clark in the Oregon Country". Oregon Historical Quarterly. 103 (4): 428–438. JSTOR 20615276.
  13. ^ Henkel, William B. (1993). "Cascadia: A State of (Various) Mind(s)". Chicago Review. 39 (3/4): 110–118. doi:10.2307/25305728. JSTOR 25305728.
  14. ^ Tedlock, Barbara (1983). "Zuni Sacred Theater". American Indian Quarterly. 7 (3): 93–110. doi:10.2307/1184258. JSTOR 1184258.
  15. ^ Wahl, Daniel Christian (23 March 2021). "David Haenke on 'Bioregionalism & Ecological Economics'". Age of Awareness. Retrieved 28 July 2024.
  16. ^ Sandover, Rebecca (2020). "Foodshed". The Bioregional Learning Centre.
  17. ^ Fanfani, David; Matarán Ruiz, Alberto, eds. (2020). Bioregional Planning and Design: Volume I. doi:10.1007/978-3-030-45870-6. ISBN 978-3-030-45869-0.[page needed]
  18. ^ Burkart, Karl (2 August 2024). "A brief history of bioregions and bioregionalism in scholarly literature". Medium.
  19. ^ Jantke, Kirstin (2024). "Little progress in ecoregion representation in the last decade of terrestrial and marine protected area expansion leaves substantial tasks ahead". Global Ecology & Conservation. 52 (August): e02972. Bibcode:2024GEcoC..5202972J. doi:10.1016/j.gecco.2024.e02972.