Tamera booklet "Ecology for Peace Research Villages"

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    Ecology orPeace Research Villages

    A model project or landscape healing, or Holzer`s Permaculture and or

    training in the Peace Research Centre Tamera in Portugal.

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    Imprint:

    3rd Edition 07/2009Text: Leila Dregger, Drthe Goschin and the Ecology-Team

    Layout: Boris Bonjour

    Photos and maps: various sources

    Aerial Picture: Instituto Geogrco Portugus, Licena n 014/09

    Publisher: Projectgroup SolarVillage

    Monte do Cerro

    7630 Colos, Portugal

    Tel: +351 / 283 635 313

    [email protected]

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    A warm welcome to theEcology Project o Tamera

    by Silke Paulick, Coordinator o the Ecology Team

    We have big plans. Big plans that make the heart beat with joy and excitement, since our

    times require big steps or healing to occur.

    Walking through Tamera today I can already see the beginning o the picture as we

    cultivate it in our vision: a landscape blossoming with vitality, an abundant diversity o

    ora and auna, a well-designed interplay o the elements, a living space that radiates

    health.

    A land whose abundance can eed all its inhabitants.We work on the development o a model or landscape healing. A water landscape is

    orming, surrounded by permaculture gardens, or an edible landscape as we preer to

    call it.

    In this context I want to thank the Austrian Permaculture specialist Sepp Holzer or his

    support. In his exemplary work in the area o ecology, he inspires and motivates people

    to powerully enter into a healing cooperation between human beings and nature.

    I have been living and working in Tamera or the past ten years and I have witnessed

    the constant growth in the area o ecology:

    The reorestation and the building o green oases, which we people need or the well

    being o our souls.

    The building and maintenance o special power places, which help the landscape to

    gain health and balance at a subtle spiritual and energetic requency level. They alsoprovide human beings with spaces that serve their reconnection to the Earth and Crea-

    tion as a whole.

    In our contact with animals we walk the path o cooperation. The aim o the research

    in this feld is to step out entirely o all incomprehension and maltreatment humans

    direct towards their ellow creatures and instead enter into a relationship o acknow-

    ledgment, cooperation and joy with each other.

    I recognize the impulse o many people to now actively participate in the development

    o our world. This too is part o our work: to create a place where one can see, eel and

    learn what lie in harmony with nature can look like and how human intervention can

    create power and health.

    The term sustainability gains ulfllment through human beings experience to be able

    to support lie in all its complexity.

    I wish you much inspiration while reading this paper and thank you or your interest.

    Tamera, July 2009

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    Content

    Beore planet Earth turns into a Desert:

    Why we have to act now? 7

    The Basic Idea o Tamera:

    Those who dont want war need a vision or peace 9

    The Outset o the Tamera Location 11

    The Basic Ideas o the Holzer`s Permaculture

    and its Application 13

    Who is Sepp Holzer? 13

    Reading natures book: every situation holds its own solution 13

    Economy and ecology: Use nature, but do not exploit it. 14

    Together is better than alone: The symbiosis o interdependencies 14

    Guide nature, do not ght it: Animals as collaborators 15

    Increasing soil ertility by establishing water retention basins 15

    Water is lie 16

    Experiences and principles regarding the work with water 16

    The Project o the Water Landscape in Tamera 17

    A nca in the Extremadura: An Example o

    the Use o Holzers Permaculture in Spain 21

    Practical Seminars with Sepp Holzer 23

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    Extremadura, Spain

    Tamera, Portugal

    Tamera, Portugal

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    I we should want to survive the ecologi-

    cal and social crisis that we have broughtabout, we would be required to engage

    ourselves in completely new and dramatic

    community undertakings

    Lynn Margulis

    Colombia

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    The ecological situation o planet Earth is dra-

    matic. The destruction o rain orests, oceans and

    ecological systems, the expansion o deserts, the

    daily disappearance o animal species, hunger and

    the beginning o wars or water are all symptoms

    and direct consequences o the way we humans

    live and operate economically which has lost allintegration within the cycles o nature.

    Modern human beings treat the soil, the plants,

    the water and the animals in such a dissociated

    way and with total lack o contact, as i they have

    orgotten what lie is and how it needs to be trea-

    ted.

    Nature answers storms and oods are only the

    beginning o an extensive climate catastrophe,

    which already has become a painul reality or

    people in many places on the globe. Forecasts or

    the Iberian peninsula are clear: Spain and Portugal

    will become deserts i we do not act now.

    The coming changes will be drastic and aect allareas o lie. People are not prepared or the extent

    o the changes ahead o them. But does this mean

    that these turmoils are necessary along with panic,

    wars and violence? Or, will we have created special

    places by then where we can learn on a global

    scale how to handle conicts and to solve them

    peaceully, how to produce energy in a decentra-

    lized way, how to treat nature and earth in a way to

    produce healthy ood and water abundantly.

    This kind o knowledge already exist in many

    places. However, oten its is still too unusual to

    be applied as yet. The main things missing are:networks o dissemination, the inter-linking o this

    knowledge, its actual application in practice, at

    least in an exemplary way at some places in the

    world, as well as a lack o educational acilities to

    teach the youth o the next generation.

    Tamera is an educational center and an ex-

    perimental eld or the development o Peace

    Research Villages and their worldwide distribu-tion. In an exemplary approach, we research and

    study living possibilities or the human being to

    be re-integrated into the whole o Creation, where

    separation is is overcome at all levels separation

    between human beings, between generations,

    between elds o knowledge, separation rom na-

    ture and rom the spiritual source. The creation o

    such Peace Research Villages - or so called Healing

    Biotopes - develop, combine and maniest know-

    ledge and methods or approaches in the elds o

    technology, ecology and energy production, or

    conict resolution and community building and

    or spiritual lie practice and ecological architec-ture.

    Currently, about 160 people rom various parts

    o the world are living and studying in Tamera.

    Among other projects, an energy-autonomous

    model village, the SolarVillage is under deve-

    lopment: an ecologically and socially sustainable

    model settlement that can be copied and applied

    in areas o the world with intensive sun radiation.

    The work and the research o the Austrian Perma-

    culture specialist Sepp Holzer, his knowledge o

    cooperation with nature, his intuition and experi-

    ence with the production o natural oodstus andwith the revitalization and healing o the land, we

    Beore planet Earth turns into a Desert:Why we have to act now?

    by Barbara Kovats

    Coordinator o the SolarVillage Project Group, Tamera

    Alentejo, Portugal

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    consider a promising and very central part o the

    research or the development o Peace Research

    Villages. His work in Valdepajares del Tajo in the

    Extremadura region in Spain in 2007 gives rise to

    much hope that something similar is also possiblehere in Portugal.

    Meanwhile, hope has turned into experience. At

    Tamera the water landscape, as proposed by Sepp

    Holzer is becoming a reality and already ater one

    growth period, the possibility o revitalzing deso-

    late ground has proven successul. Wild animals

    are adapting to this the new living environment,

    ruit trees ourish in the wide shore zones as well

    as a great variety o vegetables, herbs and medici-

    nal plants.

    Tamera is an example or Portugal and indeed or

    all o Southern Europe both in terms o its beauty

    and o the degree o ecological destruction withwhich it has to cope. The ecological healing and

    revitalization project or this place can and will

    set impulses or the entire region. Exemplary solu-

    tions which are unctioning at this Peace Research

    Center will be transerred to the home countries

    o the Tamera students and are intended to beapplied there in the development o urther Peace

    Research Villages.

    How could the planet look like when, to begin

    with, in each o its countries and in varying vege-

    tation zones at least one site would be operable

    where the knowledge, the seeds and the variety o

    nature would be tended to and cared or and were

    a shining example would serve whole regions as a

    trigger or innovation?

    We are invite interested and committed people

    to acquire an overview o our project by studying

    this brochure and to get in touch with us.

    Please help to make this vision become a reality!

    Alentejo, Portugal

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    Five Basic Thoughts rom Is Peace Possible TheFuture Experiment Monte Cerro by Dieter Duhm

    First: The outer (economic, military) violence

    executed today against nature, peoples and the

    biosphere is connected to an inner (o the soul and

    the mind/spirit) corrosion and a loss o roots regar-ding human lie on earth. The ecological and the

    psychological/spiritual destruction are two sides

    o the same general problem: Only by looking at

    them at them jointly can they be rightly under-

    stood and solved.

    Second: The human problems deriving rom this

    destruction are the consequence o a collective

    disease which besets all o civilisation and cannot

    be solved at an individual level only. The therapy

    requires the building o new human and ecologi-

    cal lie systems.

    The Basic Idea o Tamera:Those who dont want war need a vision or peace

    The emphasis o the research and the experience in Tamera are on community knowledge and commu-

    nity building and on social competence and conict resolution. Together, these disciplines orm the ocus

    o the educational program o Tamera. Sepp Holzer`s view o community building in nature is largely

    true or community among human beings too. Its ethical orientation is truth among its members, mutual

    support and responsible participation in the whole. It is not individualization and separation rom others

    that promotes individuality but cooperation and authentic communication. In Tamera we are, so to say,

    investigating and studying the human inside o a healthy ecology.

    Third: A peace project can only eect as much

    peace in the outer world as it has been able to

    eect in its human inner world. Part o the outer

    work is thereore the inner work in the sense o

    sel-change o all concerned.

    Fourth: Inner healing requires a healing in therealm o love where the deepest injuries are to be

    ound.

    Fith: The necessary healing work requires an all-

    encompassing cooperation between the human

    being and all creatures o nature and the embe-

    ding o human society into the higher orders o

    lie and Creation.

    Alentejo, Portugal

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    A non-violent ecology cannot be develo-

    ped without developing a new relationship

    with our own inner nature.

    Dieter Duhm

    Pilgrimage in 2007, Israel

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    Tamera is located in the South o Portugal, inthe Department o the Alentejo, one o the least

    densely populated areas in Europe, at about 30

    kilometers linear distance rom the Portuguese

    West coast. The 134-hectares-site consists o a hilly

    landscape with cork oaks, eucalyptus orests, bush,

    grazing and gardening land. The soil, mostly clay, is

    permeated with layers o schist. Long ago the na-tural cover o this landscape was a mediterranean

    hard lea orest, which in its variety is comparable

    to a tropical rain orest.

    What happened during the last decades in Monte

    do Cerro (the original name o the property) is the

    evidence o extensive exploitation and the indi-

    erence o modern man towards nature much the

    same or similar as can be seen in Spain, in Europe as

    a whole and in most parts o the world.

    Already beore the water landscape was construc-

    ted, Tamera had several natural springs and ponds

    as well as a rain water catchment area o about 500

    hectares. And although the average annual rainallamounts to 600 mm, water was lacking during the

    The Outset o the Tamera Location

    hot summers. A large part o the winter rain drained

    o immediately rom the site, unused and washing

    the remaining ertile topsoil with it.

    To a great extent the land has lost its capacity or

    water retention. This is caused through overgrazing

    and the subsequent compaction o the soil. Deo-

    restation (dying o cork oaks and cutting o trees)

    and the depletion o the vegetation as a result omonocultures are the cause o this.

    It is a vicious cycle: The less water retention power

    a landscape has, the ewer plants grow. The thinner

    the vegetation layer becomes, the lower the water

    retention power o the soil.

    The water situation o the whole country as well as

    that o the whole Iberian Peninsula is deteriorating.

    The annual winter rainalls become decreasingly

    reliable. Devastating orest res in the eucalyptus

    and other tree monocultures in the whole region

    are a consequence which additionally aggravates

    the situation.

    Forecasts are thereore drastic: Spain and Portugalare turning into deserts.

    Alentejo, Portugal

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    Holzers Permaculture is landscape design

    in a larger context. Correct the mistakes opast, enable the symbioses o mutual

    eects, let nature work, reestablish

    natural cycles.

    Sepp Holzer

    Extremadura, Spain

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    The Basic Ideas o the Holzer`s Permacultureand its Application

    Who is Sepp Holzer?

    Sepp Holzer is an unyielding mountain armer rom

    the Austrian region o Lungau, who has preserved

    his own authentic ability o perception. With this

    git he has since early childhood developed his

    very own way o agriculture without at the time

    being aware that in the world this is known under

    the name o permaculture. With an open heartand an alert mind he knows how to engage nature

    to be his cooperation partner. He is also called the

    agricultural rebel since nothing can deter him

    rom ollowing the impulses he receives in his

    contact with nature, even though they requently

    contradict the generally recognized doctrines.

    Meanwhile his work is met with large interna-

    tional interest. He works on projects in dierent

    climate zones all over the world.

    It is his interest to always wake people up in order

    to take on responsibility or the health o planet

    Earth and or the improvement o their social situa-

    tions by dealing with nature in an appropriate way.

    Reading natures book:

    every situation holds its own solution

    Sepp Holzer says: The possibility to cooperate with

    nature, to regulate it and to cultivate exist with

    every type o land, be it a ertile river valley in a

    temperate latitude, be it in the tundra or in the

    desert, always in accordance with the land and its

    inhabitants.Holzers Permaculture is not a method that oers

    the same procedures or every situation. On the

    contrary, its central idea is to observe nature, is

    to put onesel in the position o its creatures and

    rom this understanding to recognize rom within

    which measures have to be taken which will have

    a healing and meaningul impact.

    Sepp Holzer: Natures book always contains the

    truth; we must only learn to read it.

    An Inuit will arrive at a dierent solution than

    does an inhabitant o the desert or someone in the

    rain orest o Central America. And yet there are

    recurring principles and experiences to learn rom.

    Seminar in Tamera Sepp Holzer on the Krameterho

    Extremadura, Spain

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    A ew examples are mentioned here. For those

    who wish to inorm themselves more in depth, we

    recommend the books by Sepp Holzer.

    Economy and ecology:

    Use nature, but do not exploit it.

    I one has land, then one should use it ully and

    not let it lie allow. It is our responsibility to dosomething with it; that is why it was given to us.

    This is the conviction o Sepp Holzer. There is no

    contradiction between economy, ecology, agricul-

    ture and environmental protection. Whether one

    deals with extensive or intensive cultivation, those

    who understand how to use nature and partake

    in its abundance, also economically, will work

    eectively or its protection. Thus, the interest in

    natures health will never collide with saeguar-

    ding one`s own survival.

    Sepp Holzer has learned this rom the bottom up

    as a mountain armer and he is convinced that the

    human being can survive only i it pays attentionto and uses natures knowledge.

    When he redesigns grounds he has three things

    in view: the dream o the land and its creatures,

    the provision o its inhabitants with healthy and

    resh oodstus and the possibility o planting

    something special or trade.

    The combination o sel-sufciency and the spe-

    cialization on a product which can be brought

    to the market is one element o an interlinked

    regional sel-sufciency. Regional sel-sufciency

    is a necessity or survival. Building decentralized

    structures is a central part o a new settlementstructure.

    Together is better than alone:

    The symbiosis o interdependencies

    In nature, monocultures only appear rarely and un-

    der extreme, oten already unbalanced conditions.

    Border zones with a great variety o species are the

    most productive zones.

    Between the dierent plants and animals o a

    biotope exists a a variety o symbioses which havehardly been researched scientically. Dierent

    plants exploit dierent light, soil, nutrition and wa-

    ter conditions in such a way as to optimally use all

    resources and small ecological niches. One plant

    secretes a substance that will keep pests away

    rom another. The waste product rom one is nutri-

    tion or another. Birdsong promotes plant growth.

    A orest is more than the sum o its trees. Or:

    Together is better than alone.

    Biotopes are supporting communities. In interac-

    tion with the whole o nature, optimal supporting

    communities develop on their own.

    Sepp Holzer thereore does not primarily cultiva-te a particular kind o eld crop rather, he designs

    optimal conditions or biotopes to be able to orm.

    He thereore never sows only one type o plant

    but always adds the seeds o supporting plants.

    These can be nitrogen attracting plants such

    as peas or root vegetables which loosen up the

    earth, or else poisonous plants, whose root excre-

    tions add avor to vegetables and enhance their

    healing powers. The human being is the guiding

    and perceiving part o a biotope. He/she takes part

    in its symbiotic interplay and learns to intervene in

    the community o creatures in an observant andhealing way.

    Tamera, Portugal

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    Guide nature, do not ght it:

    Animals as collaborators

    An ecosystem unolds its ull biotope orce when

    every being is in its right place. The human beings

    task is to guide nature, not to ght it.

    Every being that appears in a biotope has signi-

    cance. I so-called pests appear, Sepp Holzer does

    not ask: How can I get rid o them? But instead heasks: What are they good or? How can I use them?

    The human being has the ability to give all the

    components o a biotope the place and task that

    best serves the whole.

    What does this mean or example with regard

    to pest inestations or with regard to an excess o

    certain wild herbs?

    First o all, they are valuable indicators about the

    condition the grounds are in. Based on them,

    Sepp Holzer draws conclusions. These indicators

    are signals that something needs to be changed.

    Maybe the vegetables are in a place that is too

    moist? Maybe this soil was too at or the sot ruits,or the clearing too shady or apples?

    The next question is always: How can I make use o

    a negative condition? How do I guide the orces o

    nature so that they work or me?

    Animals play an important role in Sepp Holzers

    Permaculture. Whether dealing with wild or dome-

    stic animals, or Sepp Holzer they have to work.

    For a hog, this may mean that it has to dig into

    a thicket o blackberries to nd its odder - orexample legumes that have been rolled in lard.

    Doing this the hog will uproot the blackberries,

    tears up the soil, ertilizes it and thus creates the

    conditions or sowing or or planting ruit trees or

    example. For the hog this work means health and

    joy o lie. It is a natural way o keeping this animal

    rather than locking it away in a pigsty.

    Successul cooperation with animals saves work

    which the human being would otherwise have to

    carry out with tools, machines or ertilizers.

    Increasing soil ertility by establishing water

    retention basinsIn Holzers Permaculture water is given the highest

    Tamera, Portugal

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    degree o attention. Water is more valuable than

    land. The value o a piece o land is directly de-

    pendent on its water supply and its ability to store

    water. This is especially true or regions that are

    threatened by desertication, such as or example

    Southern Europe.

    Water is lie

    Everywhere, where wetlands, lakes, rivers and

    ponds exist, a natural diversity o animals and

    plants thrive.

    Sepp Holzers method o using rain water andkeeping it on the land consists, above all, o crea-

    ting water landscapes o connecting retention

    spaces. (lat. retenire = to hold back) . From these

    the water soaks deeply into the soil and saturates

    the surrounding body o earth thus contributing

    to increased dew ormation and sustainably im-

    proving the ground water.

    Water retention spaces are the ideal oundation

    or the creation o edible landscapes, orest gar-

    dens with ruit and nut trees and other plant bioto-

    pes in the immediate vicinity o the water spaces.

    Water that enters the roots directly rom the earth

    promotes and supports the growth o the rootsand thereore o the whole plant in a better way

    than does above-ground irrigation. I needed, the

    water rom the lakes is still available or year-round

    irrigation. It is close to where it is needed and does

    not require long ditches and pipes.

    In addition it is possible to grow a large variety o

    water plants in and around the water spaces. They

    serve to puriy the water, they are edible or they

    can be sold and they provide a living environment

    or sh and other animals.

    Creating water retention spaces (rather than

    retention basins) is a one-time measure and is, soto speak, the oundation or the subsequent esta-

    blishment o biotopes.

    To do this, Sepp Holzer does not hesitate to work

    with heavy equipment since the transormation o

    an area always begins with careul and perceptive

    observation and a careully elaborated overall

    plan.

    Experiences and principles regarding the

    work with water

    As much intervention as necessary, as little as

    possible. Sealing the ground with oil or concrete

    is not only superuous but also damaging.

    The creation o lakes and ponds should alwaysmake use o the natural conditions. They should

    never look articial or be designed in rectangular

    shapes. Holzer: I a lake looks as i it had arisen

    naturally, we have done it right.

    The way the water retention spaces have been

    built, their orms and shapes, support the sel-

    cleaning orces o the water.

    Some ponds and lakes have a eed-in basin, in

    which oating particles can settle down to orm

    a ertile silt. The ponds will then be clear and the

    eed-in basins become valuable reservoirs o hu-

    mus that can be dredged every now and again.

    The protection aorded by plants and dientzones o depth make it possible to keep predatory

    and prey sh together in a lake: a natural sel-

    regulation is possible.

    Also or pond and water plants the rule is: diversi-

    ty is better than uniormity.

    The shore areas o the lakes are zones o great

    productivity and are excellent ground to grow

    vegetables.

    Varying water depths and shades provide or

    dierent temperature and vegetation zones which

    bring many ecological advantages.

    Lake 1, beginning o construction, Tamera, Portugal

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    In winter 2006/2007 the Tamera community decided to take a big step orward in its plan or sel-suci-

    ency with regard to oodstus, particularly ruit and vegetables. This decision was and still is strongly

    motivated by the political wish to step out o the globalized supply cycles which cause so much suering.

    The Project o the Water Landscape in Tamera

    During a trip to Spain in January 2007 a grouprom Tamera made the acquaintance o Sepp

    Holzer (see experience report s. 21). His work had

    already been known to Tamera and had caused

    much enthusiasm.In March o the same year Sepp Holzer and his

    wie Veronika Holzer visit Tamera to view the land

    and to address the questions o landscape healing

    and o the development o sel-sufciency in the

    area o ood supply. During this visit Sepp Holzer

    drats a vision o an ecological model project or

    the healing and revitalization o the landscape and

    the supply o ood or several hundred people,

    including ruits, vegetables, herbs and medicinal

    plants.

    In the community this vision meets with a lot o

    resonance as it ts perectly with their own pictu-

    res o a new uture. Very soon they decide to goahead with the plan and put it into practice. More

    and more people rom the community grasp how

    essential the right type o water management is

    or the healing o nature; this brings orth a strong

    power or maniestation.

    Planning and practical preparations begin, in-quires are made and ofcial authorizations are

    applied or. In August o 2007 the development o

    the waterlandscape begins with the construction

    o the rst large retention space.

    The work is done by six Tamera co-workers and a

    regional construction company.

    Three months later the construction is nished

    and the rst mixed seeds are sown on the new

    shore slopes and terraces. In winter hundreds o

    dierent berry bushes as well as orest and ruit

    trees are planted, again along the shore, among

    them old regional varieties. In addition dierent

    direct seeds o ruit and orest trees are put in theground.

    Lake 1, Tamera, Portugal

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    Special work consist o setting stones in the shore

    areas o the newly developed biotope. To enhance

    the energy and the design, large stones are placed

    in selected places. These old marble boulders rom

    nearby quarries with their impressive shapes,

    apart rom looking beautiul, add to the task o

    creating a new and varied micro climate. They

    store heat, give shade and preserve moisture. The

    initial layout is nished.

    In the course o the ollowing year the develop-ment o the aquaculture is carried on. Since then

    a great variety o water purication plants have

    been cultivated. The cultivation o water lilies and

    other water plants are intended or sale and or the

    provision o sufcient plants or the next retention

    spaces to be built.

    As soon as the so-called Lake 1 begins to ll up

    with water it can be observed how wild animals

    adopt to the new living space. Turtles, rogs, crabs,

    and sh rapidly animate the new biotope and

    shortly ater even the oot prints o the European

    otter are to be ound.

    The shore terraces are worked and vegetablesare harvested already all year round while the o-

    cus is still on developing the soil. We also start to

    produce our own seeds, an important element o

    permaculture.

    Parallel to this, the construction o the second re-

    tention space, the integration o the so-called val-

    ley garden into the waterlandscape, is underway.

    In autumn 2008 the construction work is nished,

    again ollowed by sowing mixed cultures and the

    planting o ruit trees and bushes.

    Also in autumn o 2008 a Series o Seminars orthe Teaching o Sepp Holzers Permaculture is

    launched.

    In the seminars, together with the Ecology Team

    o Tamera, Sepp Holzer teaches his approach o

    working with nature both in theory and practice.

    The target o the training is to educate committed

    people to become permaculture specialists who

    know that landscape healing can be practiced

    worldwide on both a large and a small scale.

    A regular element o the seminars is an open

    day where interested people are invited to a gui-

    ded tour through the Tamera water landscape to

    get an insight into the eects o this work. Amongthe visitors o these tours are lecturers rom Por-

    Tamera, Portugal

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    tuguese universities, Alentejo school teachers,

    engineers, biologists, students as well as armers

    and landowners who are searching or new ways

    in agriculture.

    It is most moving to experience how quickly ater

    the intervention in the landscape a new sound

    spreads across the land. The healing perspectives

    open to the land can be sensed, i only humans

    learn how to deal with nature in the right way.

    The complete picture o the water landscapeincludes the building o urther retention spaces

    in the western part o the grounds, the southern

    valley and the center o Tamera. The dierent

    retention spaces will be linked with each other

    by overows and creeks thus creating varying

    water cycles which can be moved with solar driven

    pumps at any given time.

    The healing and revitalization in the southern

    part will be combined with a new drinking water

    and irrigation supply.

    The next step is the construction o a testeld or

    the SolarVillage, which will be embedded in the

    center o the waterlandscape. Here the researchon solar technology, permaculture and communi-

    tarian social structures are to merge and come to

    lie.

    Financing

    We are most grateul or the nancial support that

    was orthcoming to acilitate the steps. People

    rom all walks o lie made nancial contributions

    to the project. They are moved by the vision and

    strongly committed to a new uture.

    For the urther realization o the venture additio-nal donors and sponsors are invited to participate.

    Thank you for your support!

    The Tamera Ecology Team

    Tamera, Portugal

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    Extremadura, Spain

    The plans rom above to below: The Tamera com-

    pound (detail) beore the work started, the water

    retention spaces build in 2007 and 2008. The plan

    o the Water Landscape as it will present itsel inthe centre o the grounds in the near uture.

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    The successul reshaping o a semi-arid landscapeinto a water paradise with a lush plant biotope:

    South o Madrid, in the middle o the Spanish

    Extremadura region, which is acutely threatenedby desertication, a successul example o the

    revitalization o a biotope can be ound. Based on

    Holzers Permaculture concept, the 270 ha [675

    acre] nca is a pioneer model or a green uture on

    the Iberian Peninsula.

    Long periods o drought and massive soil ero-

    sion caused by strong winter rainalls led to the

    desertication o the landscape. This was the

    initial situation when an analysis was made and a

    concept developed or a sustainable renaturation

    o the property. One o the ocuses o the cause

    analysis was concerned with the dramatic increase

    in dying holly oak trees during the past ew yearsthroughout all o Spain. The scientic explanation

    o a virus inection was subject to examination.

    The situation o the holly oaks in Extremadura is

    very similar to that o the cork oaks in the Alentejo.

    When looking at the question o why the holly

    oak was dying, Sepp Holzer arrived at a surprisingly

    simple and logical answer. In his opinion, the agra-

    rian economical development during the last 50

    years has led to an extremely high overall strain on

    the oak population, a large part o which is hund-

    reds o years old. He pointed out the coarse way

    the trees are cut leaving a large wound behind.This leads to the amiliar damages the trees suer

    A nca in the Extremadura: An Example othe Use o Holzers Permaculture in Spain

    In January o 2007 a delegation rom Tamera visited the fnca.

    rom: disruption to the trees capillary system in

    contact with air, ungi inestation o the weakened

    tree and colonization with wood beetles whose

    larvae create burrows and decay inside o the tree.Finally, the tree dies.

    This process is avored by the extreme environ-

    mental conditions. Originally the Mediterranean

    hard lea tree, the oak tree, is used to long periods

    o dryness. However, through the past decades o

    overgrazing the soil has become extremely dense,

    despite strong rainalls in winter. The water hardly

    penetrates the soil, instead, it runs o the surace.

    Additionally the grazing animals decimate the

    plant diversity and prevent the growth o a young

    orest. Thereore the layer o humus lacks the sta-

    bility that derives rom the roots, and exposed to

    wind and rain is subject to strong soil erosion. Thiscycle creates a general stress situation or the vete-

    ran oaks and weakens their power o regeneration.

    To Sepp Holzer, this chain o inuences shows

    that the theory o a virus inection is an old wi-

    ves tale. He shakes his head over the suggested

    inoculation o the trees and over the prevailing

    blindness towards the writing in natures book.

    For the regeneration o the entire area o this tree

    graveyard, he thus suggested a radical change in

    the utilization concept. An important step was the

    discontinuation o pasture grazing to revitalize the

    ground and initiate the development o new ore-station. Supporting measures were added, such

    Drthe Goschin

    Extremadura, Spain

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    as the systematic plowing o the compacted soil

    in order to provide good soil or the tree seeds to

    germinate in; ollowed by reorestation o a mixed

    cultivation o ruit trees and supporting plants, like

    salads, legumes and root vegetables, this suppor-

    ted the improvement o the soil climate, and ac-celerated the creation o a natural layer o humus.

    When visiting the place again ater a planting

    period o one year where

    Holzers ideas were applied, we were already able

    to walk through large parts o a ertile edible land-

    scape set in the midst o the rugal Extremadura

    region. Under the trees in the middle o a meadow

    radishes and salads were growing. They thrived

    splendidly and were delicious to eat during our

    long walks across the property.

    Even more impressive was the change in the

    landscape due to the many lakes that had been

    built during the past two years. Filled by the winterrains, they gently t into landscape like a row o

    pearls. The abundance o water owl and the glit-

    tering o the lakes and ponds which are up to 10

    hectares [25 acres] each, enchant the visitors. For a

    while one orgets that one is in an area o Europe

    that is threatened by rapid desertication.

    Water is lie - This core statement by Sepp Hol-

    zer can be experienced in this young permaculture

    project in a breathtakingly impressive way. Ater

    only one rainy season, eight lakes were brimul

    with precious water. Now the body o the earth

    has time to absorb the water over a long period

    o time. The micro-climate is permanently vitalized

    and a rich diversity o species o plants and animals

    has gained a living space in surroundings that until

    now were inhospitable.

    Already today, a eeling o paradise can be

    sensed, and it does not require much imagination,even by ecological laymen, to see the positive

    opportunities or uture developments. The visi-

    ble reality speaks clear words. Altogether, Sepp

    Holzer introduced 50 hectares [125 acres] o lakes

    and ponds into the overall design o the property.

    These constitute the oundation or the ecological

    revitalization and healing o the biotope during

    the coming years.

    The project can expand the mental horizon o

    every visitor to embrace the certainty that there

    are solutions to problems which until now seemed

    unsolvable. The nca is an impressive signal or the

    Iberian Peninsula and an important answer to thequestion o what is possible or the uture o this

    region: catching water as the most precious subs-

    tance, instead o letting i drain away.

    A rich biotope o mixed cultivation will change

    the characteristic landscape o the Iberian Pen-

    insula. It will transorm a zone almost declared a

    desert into a garden o Eden.

    In the name o all o lie and in the name o uture

    generations we are deeply thankul to Sepp Holzer

    or his arsighted visionary power and his steadast

    drive to bring about change.

    Seminar in Tamera, Portugal

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    September 26th October 1st

    December 3rd to 8th 2009

    February 1st to 6th 2010

    June 7th to 12th 2010

    September 2nd to 7th 2010

    November 24th to 29th 2010

    Applications:

    [email protected]

    Tel. +351 / 283 635 306

    Since October 2008, rom time to time we oerseminars with Sepp Holzer in which the practical

    and theoretical parts o Holzers Permaculture are

    taught along with the actual construction o the

    water landscape in Tamera.

    The core issues are creating water landscapesor the ecologic renaturation o the earth and

    the creation o diverse and complementary plant

    communities and biotopes that guarantee sel-

    sufciency or the humans living in it.

    In addition to the core issues, every practical

    seminar has some specic ocuses so that each

    seminar can be attended individually, but comple-ments the others.

    Practical Seminars with Sepp Holzer

    Seminar in Tamera, Portugal

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    Barbara Kovats

    Sepp Holzer

    Lilian von WussowPancho Mockenhaupt

    Bernd Mller

    Paul Gisler

    Silke Klver

    Silke Paulick

    Thomas Preisser

    urther inormation about Sepp Holzer:

    www.krameterho.at

    For detailed inormation look on our homepage:

    www.tamera.org - Ecology

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    For nancial support:

    Portugal:Account holder: Associao para um Mundo Humanitrio

    Bank: Caixa Crdito Agrcola S. Teotnio

    NIB: 0045 6332 4021 9980 8662 0

    IBAN: PT50 0045 6332 4021 9980 8662 0 BIC: CCCMPTPL

    Germany:

    Account holder: Karl-Rainer Ehrenpreis - Forschungsgemeinschat TameraBank: GLS Gemeinschatsbank Bochum

    Account-No.: 400 635 2400, Bank Code (BLZ): 430 609 67

    IBAN: DE02 4306 0967 4006 3524 00, BIC: GENODEM1GLS

    Switzerland:

    Account holder: Stitung FGB, Verein Netzwerk - TameraBank: Freie Gemeinschatsbank, Basel

    Account-No.: 400.631.3, Clearing-No.: 8392, Postcheque Basel: 40-963-0

    IBAN: CH20 0839 2000 0040 0631 3, BIC: RAIFCH22XXX

    Tax deductible receipts or Switzerland are available or donations made to this account.

    USA:Through the IHC (International Humanities Center), a non-prot organisation with 501 [c],

    you can get a donation invoice or the USA.

    Cheques:

    please send them directly to: IHC - International Humanities Center, PO Box 923, Malibu, CA 90265, USA.As reason or payment, please write: IHC/IGF

    Credit cards:

    please call: +1-310-579.2069; Fax: + 1-206-333.1797,

    Steve Sugarman: [email protected]

    Thank you or your supportThe Projectgroup SolarVillage

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    For urther inormation:

    www.tamera.org

    Tamera, Monte do Cerro, 7630-932 Colos, Portugal

    Tel. Ofce Tamera: +351 / 283 635 306

    Tel. Ofce SolarVillage: +351 / 283 635 313

    Fax.: +351 / 283 635 316

    Projectgroup SolarVillage

    Your contact person: Silke Paulick

    [email protected]