Citizen science at the site for the Paddock

2016

“The question I would like to answer is: can human and natural development happen in a manner that is mutually beneficial? Can we develop a strong community, a wonderful place to live and help strengthen local ecosystems and their flora and fauna? This ecological assessment is the first step in this, let’s see what is on this site and work with it to create vital thriving systems. Let the site and its systems dictate the development.

This site will be designed to the living community standard – this stipulates that any human community needs to be designed to provide ecosystem service benefits.

As such we hope do an ecological assessment of the site with the community, as a science project. We plan to put on some great local food for morning tea lunch and afternoon tea.

We’ll draw up a grid and have a go at counting, photographing and documenting what is here. This will then form the basis of how the site is designed and in 5 and 10 years’ time we’ll do it again; and see if we can in fact make things better.”

Dr Dominique Hes