Upload
lamdiep
View
220
Download
3
Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
SOCIAL-ECOLOGICAL RESILIENCE AT CÉU DO PATRIARCA ECOVILAGE - SOUTH BRAZIL Leopoldo Cavaleri Gerhardingera,b; Gustavo C.M. Martinsc; Alexandre Paulo Teixeira
Moreirac,d; Cristian Curtic; Cristiana Simão Seixasa a) Núcleo de Estudos e Pesquisas Ambientais (NEPAM) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas
(UNICAMP), Campinas (São Paulo), Brasil. b) Associação de Estudos Costeiros e Marinhos (ECOMAR), Caravelas (Bahia), Brasil. c) Associação Ambientalista Comunitária e Espiritualista Patriarca São José (ACEPSJ), Florianópolis
(Santa Catarina), Brasil. d) Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (UFSC) – Departamento de Ecologia, Laboratório de
Bioacústica ABSTRACT
This manuscript analyses the social-ecological resilience of Céu do Patriarca
ecovillage (Florianópolis city, Santa Catarina state, Brazil). Initially, we describe the
motivation and main events guiding the intentional self-organization process of the
community in the past 23 years. We then provide a descriptive analysis of the main
attributes - technological, knowledge and skills, social structures and relations,
behavioural, psychological and belief systems, adaptive policies and management –
related to its capacity to manage social and ecological disturbance in the present, past
and future. We have also analysed the response measures demonstrated by the
ecovillage to 8 of the main local socio-ecological disturbances. The analysis enabled the
identification of 33 characteristics within the ecovillage that are indicative of its
resilience. We also illustrate the presence of adaptive co-management features, and
argue they have shown a high level of transformability across their 23-year trajectory.
Before all the advancements and experiences accumulated by the Céu do Patriarca
ecovillage, we conclude that it does not only offer an outstanding and insightful case
study to think about the various facets of social-ecological systems resilience. Above all,
it may well serve as a reference to other communities and people in search of concrete
social-ecological systems trajectories that have shown significant progress in pursuing
sustainable development.
INTRODUCTION
This manuscript analyses the social-ecological resilience of a human settlement
located at Florianópolis city (Santa Catarina state, south Brazil), on the light of 23 years
of intentional self-organization. In 2007, the community started to identify themselves
under the concept of ‘ecovillage’, following an evaluative assessment made by Martins
(2007) using the Global Ecovillage Network (GEN) criteria. The evaluation revealed that
‘Céu do Patriarca’ community fits well into the concept and had accumulated ‘good
knowledge towards sustainability’ (GEN criteria).
An ecovillage is an intentional human settlement with the purpose and effort to
minimize environmental impact throughout its development according to local realities.
Local practices are harmonically integrated to the natural world, and care is taken
towards healthy human development (Christian, 2003). With a novel socioeconomic
structure, ecovillages move ahead from current dichotomy between rural and urban
settlements. They represent an alternative model for the design and reorganization of
human settlements in the 21th century (Walker, 2005), and were incorporated by the
United Nations in the Sustainable Communities Development Program.
This study is part of the ‘New EcoCultures: Resilience for the Future of Social-
Ecological Systems’1 programme at the University of Essex (United Kingdom), which is
run under the university's Global Challenges Programme. This innitiative is looking at
community resilience in ‘exemplary’ cultures/communities from around the world which
have retained their connection to their local environment, and subsequently this is
helping them become more resilient to global challenges (e.g. such as food and energy
crises and climate change). Céu do Patriarca Ecovillage is an Intentional community within the New EcoCultures’ framework, one that has made a specific choice to
implement a programme or way of living that connects it to its land and resources in a
'sustainable' way, such as the Transition towns of the UK. Besides this connection with
the local environment, this manuscript also explores the hypothesis that ‘an intentional
construction of a community with foundational values and principles strongly based on
ecological sustainability, spirituality and solidarity favours the emergence of social-
1 Consortium from the Interdisciplinary Centre for Environment and Society. Principal investigator: Dr. Jules Pretty (University of Essex).
ecological resilience attributes’.
The resilience concept was born in the ecological theory (Holling, 1973) and is
since employed by a variety of disciplines approaching environmental sustainability
(Brand and Jax, 2007). More recently it has become a key concept in the analysis of
social-ecological systems (Berkes and Folke, 1998; Gunderson and Holling, 2002;
Berkes et al., 2003; Folke, 2006). In this paper we follow the Resilience Alliance2
concept of social-ecological resilience as: the amount of change the system can
undergo and still retain the same controls on function and structure; the degree to which
the system is capable of self-organization and; the ability to build and increase the
capacity for learning and adaptation.
We initially describe the main biophysical aspects, principles and series of events
determining the historical intentional community self-organization process as
experienced by the Céu do Patriarca ecovillage. On the light of this trajectory, we
describe and analyse the attributes increasing and limiting resilience in the present, past
and future.
METHODS
The information presented here gathers several sources. In 2006, semi-
structured interviews were done with people from 14 out of the 17 homes present at that
time. The interviews were part of a participatory assessment to evaluate the level of
community sustainability according to GEN3 criteria (Martins, 2007). We have also
assessed the information contained at the Community Development Plan (CDP) and the
Institutional Development Plan (IDP), both developed in 2006 through participatory
assessment methods. Five complimentary semi-structured interviews were done in
September 2010 and April 2011 with local informants that have fully accompanied the
self-organization process of the settlement. These interviews specifically explored the
community resilience, and were guided by questions posed by the EcoCultures project
framework. Some of the co-authors have also experienced the dynamics of the
ecovillage and accumulate a significant body of knowledge on differing aspects of the
2 http://www.resalliance.org 3 http://gen.ecovillage.org
studied social-ecological system. The analysis of attributes that confers social-
ecological resilience to the ecovillage is organized according the framework posed by
the EcoCultures project.
HISTORY AND MAIN CHARACTERISTICS OF CÉU DO PATRIARCA ECOVILLAGE
Biophysical aspects The ecovillage is located at the Ratones river basin, within an Atlantic Tropical
Rainforest ecological corridor in the island and city of Florianópolis (Figures 1 and 2).
The island has well defined climate with average temperature around 20.4°C (min. 7.5-
12°C and max. 28-31°C). The average precipitation is around 1521mm/year, with no dry
season but increased raining in summer.
The ‘Associação Ambientalista Comunitária Espiritualista Patriarca São José’
(ACEPSJ) possess around eighty hectares of land, seven of which are currently
occupied by 25 buildings and 80 inhabitants. The territory is thus mostly a collectively
shared space, but every inhabitant has an ‘assignment of use’ (cessão de uso)
corresponding to an ideal circle of 20metres of ray which is occupied accordingly to a
Land Use and Occupation Director Plan. Despite encompassing several permanently
protected areas following Brazilian environmental legislation (e.g. small water streams,
forest in advanced state of regeneration and vegetated high slopes) the land under
ACEPSJ control was substantially transformed when the ecovillage was built. In the
80s, the area was mainly used for manioc plantations.
Today, the ecovilage’s vicinities holds ecological conditions similar to those found
in most preserved areas of the island (e.g. mountain slopes sourrouding coastal
lagoons present in the island). Within the community it is possible to observe the
recurrent presence of the capuchin monkey (Cebus apella), agoutis (Dasyprocta
azarae), nine-banded armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus), lowland paca (Cuniculus
paca), pampas fox (Pseudalopex gymnocercus), toucans (Rhamphastos dicolorus and
R. Vitelinus), brown tinamou (Crypturellus obsoletus), slaty-breasted wood-rail
(Aramides saracura), and other wild fauna.
Figure 1: Location of the Céu do Patriarca ecovillage.
Figure 2: Panoramic view of the landscape at Céu do Patriarca ecovillage (photo by Rafael Gué Martini).
Community self-organization The historical evolution of Céu do Patriarca ecovillage is intimately related to the
trajectory, vision, motivations and values of a group of four people that triggered the
self-organization process around 1987. This history becomes evident by the relevance it
assumes in the groups’ identity and the recurrent presence in the oral and written
communication amongst people in the community (e.g. institutional video4 and director
plan available at the ecovillages’ website5). The initial phase of 1987-1992 was marked
by the initiation of the group in the Santo Daime religion6 and the emerging interaction
with another community known as ‘Céu do Mapiá’ (Amazon state, Brazil), where the
main church is located. In this period, they have also obtained authorization to conduct
Santo Daime ceremonies in Florianópolis and gradually more people joined the group.
In 1991, fourteen members of the group jointly went to Amazon state searching
to deepen understanding on the Santo Daime doctrine and the community lifestyle.
They became sensitized with the initiative lead by Sebastião Mota de Melo, or Padrinho
Sebastião (1920-1990) for the past five years in constructing an intentional community
and were therefore inspired by him to gather in community back in Santa Catarina state.
In 1992, ceremonies that were initially conducted at Ênio Staub’s (Padrinho Ênio7)
home at ‘Praia do Santinho (Florianópolis city) were transferred to a church built at the
land (current Convivial Centre) bought to hold the construction of the desired
settlement.
In 1996, the group founded the ‘Spiritualistic Communitarian Association
Patriarca São José’, which ever since function as the formal organization coordinating
residents and associates. Environmental activities soon started to outstand and the
association name changed to ‘Environmental and Spiritualistic Communitarian
Association Patriarca São José’ (ACEPSJ). The association gathers today around 93
associates (58 local ecovillage residents, plus 27 children summing up 85 residents)
that frequently participate in activities such as: spiritual ceremonies; voluntary task
4 www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0fAXeNQLRM 5 www.acepsj.org.br 6 See next section. 7 Padrinho Ênio is the main leader and visionary of the spiritual trajectory and the community project. He is also the current president of the ACEPSJ.
forces to maintain common areas and plantations; courses; self-knowledge workshops
(e.g. Enneagram); native seedling production; environmental recovery and permaculture
activities, amongst others.
An outstanding characteristic of the community is the multicultural atmosphere
stimulated. There was an estimated 6,000 signatures of participations in ceremonies
and other events in 2009. Throughout its trajectory, ACEPSJ members approached and
incorporated other spiritual practices in the official routine of the ecovillage by exchange
with local (Guarani ethnicity) and Acre state (Huni Kuin ethnicity) Amerindians,
Umbanda (afro-brazilian religion), Yoga, Sacred Fire (American Native Church of the
Sacred Fire of Itzachilatlan), Zulu Sangoma healers (South Africa), amongst others.
More recently, the associates of ACEPSJ have also started to participate in Enneagram
activities guided by the Uruguay Center of Gestalt Studies8.
The Santo Daime doctrine remains in central importance at the ecovillage, with
ceremonies scheduled accordingly to what was proposed by Master Irineu and
Padrinho Sebastião. However, a strong stimulus is given towards an exchange with
spiritual leaders of other cultural backgrounds as an intentional pursue to the study of
spirituality.
Santo Daime religion and the community of Céu do Mapiá The physical construction of the Céu do Patriarca ecovillage at Florianópolis
(started in 1992) was and continues to be highly influenced by the interaction
maintained with the community Céu do Mapiá at Amazonas state: the ethics and
practices are grounded in Santo Daime doctrine. Intimate symbolic relationships with
nature and community lifestyle are central features of this religion (Goulart, 2004). The
doctrine emerged in Acre state during the 1920s’ after the contact and transcendental
experiences of the rubber-tapper Raimundo Irineu Serra (widely known as Master
Irineu, 1892-1971) with the tea Nixi Pae (Ayahuasca, Cãapi or Santo Daime). The tea is
made out of the cooking of the vine known as ‘jagube’ (Banisteriopsis caapi) brewed
with ‘chacrona’ leafs (Psychotria viridis). An oral tale held by the Huni-Kuin argues that
8 http://www.gestalturuguay.com - The Enneagram is an ancient self-knowledge system, which was disseminated and adapted for westernized cultures mainly by the Greek-Armenian philosopher Georgii Ivanovich Gurdzhiev and the Chilean psychiatrist Claudio Naranjo.
this sacred brew was introduced to Mestre Irineu in their shamanic rituals. However, this
brew is also traditionally used by several Amerindian groups for a very long time
(Labate and Araújo, 2004).
The Santo Daime religion is centred in the collective experimentation of chants
that incorporate a conceptual field, principles and values syncretising the ritualistic and
symbolic cultural matrix of christianity, indigenous, esoteric, kardecist and african
spiritism (Figure 3). To the followers of this doctrine, the tea reveals ones divinity and
consequently the necessity of adjusting inadequate behaviours so the spirit can evolve.
The main chants of the hundreds existent were revealed to master Irineu through
transcendental experimentation of the tea, and are ever since the pillars of Santo Daime
religion.
Padrinho Sebastião (1920-1990) was one of the important spiritual leaders of the
Santo Daime, which gave continuity to one of the spiritual lines originated from the work
of master Irineu. He is particularly known for opening and expanding the doctrine to
other Brazilian regions and countries. His leadership led to the creation in 1974 of an
association named ‘Eclectic Centre of the Fluent Universal Light Raimundo Irineu Serra’
(CEFLURIS). By 1997, spiritual/religious issues started to be dealt in separation from
the social/economic/administrative, through the design of two institutions: ICEFLU
(Church of the Eclectic Cult of the Fluent Universal Light) and CEFLURIS Institute
(Institute of Environmental Development Raimundo Irineu Serra). Today, these
organizations encompass dozens of other churches in Brazil and other countries
(Japan, Holland, United States, Germany and South Africa, amongst others).
In 1980, Padrinho Sebastião mobilized a group of approximately 200 people that
were living in a community called ‘Colônia Cinco Mil’, in the outskirts of Rio Branco city
(Acre state), to build another community within the Amazon forest. A phrase attributed
to Padrinho Sebastião by one of our informants at Céu do Patriarca captures well the
motivations and principles that inspired this movement:
“New life, new people, new system!”
Figure 3: Santo Daime ceremony at Céu do Patriarca (photo by Rafael Gué Martini).
Padrinho Sebastião and the families that accompanied him first attempted to
settle in a community at Seringal Rio do Ouro, in an very remote area accessible only
by small canoes, following the recommendation of a governmental agency. After two
years facing many difficulties, including the death of many by malaria, they had to
abandon the area because they were informed it was someone else’s property. They
transferred and re-settled the community at the margins of Mapiá Igarapé, an affluent of
the Purus River (Amazon state), more than 100km away of where they were.
The ACEPSJ is also affiliated to the Environmental Development Institute
Raimundo Irineu Serra (IDACEFLURIS), another association legally created to
coordinate in national and international levels, the directives referred to environmental
and communitarian development of all centres affiliated to Santo Daime.
SOCIAL-ECOLOGICAL SYSTEM RESILIENCE ANALYSIS Resilience in the present: new, traditional or alternative ways of living Technologies, knowledge and skills bases that contribute to social-ecological
resilience and sustainability
Amongst the technologies that contribute to resilience to water provision we
outline the presence of private and collective compostable dry toilets (no water use) and
banana circles to treat grey domestic wastewater (water from sinks, showers and
washing tanks) and to fertilize the land. Many of the community residents have the habit
of aerobically composting domestic organic waste.
Drinking water comes from two local river streams and rainwater (only a few
households). Recently, the ACEPSJ bought the land where the water springs are
located and are articulating the establishment of a local private protected area (to be
designated under federal environmental legislation) as a safety measure to secure
water provision on the long run.
Besides that care with food quality and provision is common amongst local
residents – as seen on the preference for organics – local production is limited and seen
as an explicit challenge in the Communitarian Development Plan (CDP). However, a
few mechanisms to increase autonomy and improve the production and provision of
food are under implementation. For instance, the native palm tree (Euterpe edulis) is
being planted across the ecovillage and some residents have productive fruit trees
around their homes. Some residents also produce vegetables, spices and teas for
medicinal or feeding purposes. Nevertheless, food production is prejudiced by the
tension with wild fauna such as monkeys (eat fruits, manioc and sugar cane) and birds
(eat corn sprouts). There is recognition on the necessity of enhanced community
capacity building and financial resources towards the implementation of more effective
agroforestry systems for food production.
Native honeybees (Apidae: Meliponinae)9 cultivation and repopulation started in
2010. The project, which is developed in partnership with a local university, is seen as a
way to augment forest pollination and to produce honey for feeding and medicinal
purposes.
9 Mandaçaia Melipona quadrifasciata; Manduri Melipona marginata; Mirim Pebeia sp.
There is a Health House in the ecovillage and a health team that includes a
physical doctor and natural therapists that are pursuing a greater autonomy in relation
to the public health service and the capacity to deal with several ills without reliance on
conventional medicine. Some natural remedies are already locally produced (e.g.
phytotherapy, floral medicine). For local residents and most visitors, the shamanic or
native ceremonies are seen as a space/time of spiritual benefits10 for healing the mind,
psyche and the body. However, it does not appear to exist excessive restrictive
behaviours towards conventional treatments and remedies.
The plants used in the preparation of the tea consumed during some of the
ceremonies are locally cultivated as a commons. The making of the tea takes place
every year during the ‘feitios’, occasions where the practice of collective work (task
forces) are closely associated to the religious practice (some procedures and dynamics
are ritualized). The ecovillage is autonomous in the production of the tea since 2002.
Almost all homes are fully dependent on electric energy provided by the public
service. Nowadays, the ACEPSJ has given a scholarship to a resident student to
undertake a distance-learning course in solar energy technology. There is also the
search for knowledge and intention to install small hydroelectric energy generators in
one of the river streams with New Zealand technology (Rafael Gué Martini, pers.obs.).
The intentional and strategic search for new technologies and knowledge is an
embedded characteristic of those involved with the ecovillage. For instance, at least two
courses on Permaculture techniques were already held, and exchange with researchers
working on clean technologies is stimulated. Although not every home uses all
technologies described above, there is a wide range of technologies, knowledge and
skills available and accessible to residents. The ecovillage is not only open to new
knowledge; people act in a prospective manner for new key partnerships with
institutions (e.g. NGOs, universities) and key-people (e.g. indigenous, scientists,
extensionists) holding modern or traditional sustainable technologies and practices.
When looking at the historical evolution of the community, becomes clear that there was
significant learning accumulated individually or collectively along their 25-year trajectory.
10 Nowadays, there is a ongoing legal conflict in Brazil regarding the use of the word ‘cure’, leaded by the National Council of Medicine. Thus, the word ‘benefit’ is commonly employed as a synonym.
Social structures and relations that contributes to social-ecological resilience
One of the main characteristics of the emergence of the Céu do Patriarca
ecovillage is its origin linked to a search for both rupture and reconciliation.
The rupture relates to an economic development model considered inadequate,
that drives them (individually and collectively) in the search for the effective practice of
an alternative lifestyle. The search of alternative development models continues to be
pursued by local community inhabitants, motivated by the continuous tension with the
status quo, experienced in the adjacent urban and rural areas; the socialization with
outside professional or familiar networks and; the contact and exchange with visitors
from many places of Brazil and other countries.
The communities’ internal economy is diverse and apparently growths within
solidarity principles. Several productive initiatives or services are under development at
different levels of success and implementation, such as: communitarian kitchen and
restaurant, camping and dormitory for visitors, dry fruit production, cereal processing,
jewellery, clothing manufactory, web design, development of information systems,
professional audio studio, woodworking, handcrafts and herbal medicines, amongst
others. In the last decade, external consultancy has also dealt wit the topics of social-
environmental responsibility and environmental education in the ecovillage.
In 1998, a cooperative was created by some of the residents (ECOOPERAR) in
order to incentive initiatives of production and consumption. In 2007 it was created the
Solidary Social-Environmental Credit Portfolio (SSCP), initially promoted by the
Communitarian Development Commission within a trial and demonstrative regime. This
fund provides microcredit opportunities to ACEPSJ associates, promoting development
and entrepreneurship, education and health in the ecovillage. The fund resources
derives from the surplus of land transactions and selling of individual land titles. Since
its creation, the fund mobilized more than 43,000.00 euros in loans. Following the
success of the SSCP, they have started to formalize and institutionalize it within
ECOOPERAR. This new step requires statutory reforms at the cooperative, which will
them contemplate, besides the cooperation on production and consumption, that on
credit and services.
It is also worth citing the existence of an informal ride scheme amongst local
residents, who communicate actively in search or to offer transportation to other areas
of Florianópolis city.
The other movement is of reconciliation of values and practice, for instance, of a
communitarian lifestyle integrated to environmental sustainability, solidarity and
spirituality. The values and principles of the ACEPSJ are made explicitly visible in
several official and social communication documents, thus present in the normative
(formal and informal) strategy and in the construction of a collective communitarian
identity (Table I). Table I: Strategic principles of the ‘Environmental and Spiritualistic Communitarian Association Patriarca São José’ (ACEPSJ) as publicized in official (e.g. communitarian development plan, director plan) and social communication documents (e.g. banners, folders, website). Strategic principles Description MISSION
To enable integral human development through self-knowledge and practice of a solidary community lifestyle in harmony with the environment
VISION
Sustainable human settlement in an Atlantic Rainforest, integrating spirituality, education and health
VALUES
Equality, fraternity, solidarity, cooperation, multiculturalism, social-environmental responsibility
Communitarian lifestyle favour opportunities for interaction and share of
knowledge amongst associate members. The knowledge and wisdom shared by the
elders are transmitted to young people in an informal basis during ceremonies and more
intimate rituals, communitarian task forces and other daily social interaction. Formal
knowledge transfer is stimulated through lectures and courses on various topics of
interest.
While a common basis of values, principles and motivations linked to nature,
spirituality and community life are present, we find a great diversity of preferences
among the members of the ACEPSJ. For instance, not everybody participate in all
ceremonies and knowledge networks. In our perception, respect for cultural diversity is
key to enable such an interaction atmosphere.
It is not possible to enlist here all social support networks present at the study
site. However, they vary in spatial scale and topics related to the settlements’ efficiency.
Some of these networks are listed in Figure 4 (see section on “administrative practices”)
and are mirrored in the formal governance structure through commissions and working
groups. Other networks have national or even international coverage, as is the case of
those related to the articulation and leadership in the fields of spirituality and self-
knowledge practices (e.g. Santo Daime, Sacred Fire and Enneagram, amongst others).
Neighbourhood disagreements and conflicts (e.g. issues regarding noise,
domestic pets, garbage, etc) are dealt by the formal governance structure (e.g. councils
and committees) and in numerous informal opportunities for interaction. There are
objective and transparent mechanisms in place to avoid a certain divergent issue
developing into a conflict. There are also formal mechanisms for disciplinary corrections
or exclusion of associates (in extreme circumstances) if ones behaviour is clearly
inadequate and incompatible with that promoted in the community.
Amongst the problems outlined by the PDC is the perceptible pattern of decrease
in participation of some of the associates in voluntary activities, commissions and
working groups. Consequently, there is frequently work overload and excess of
attributions laid to those that participate.
This pattern may be related to population growth and consequent emergence of
a ‘representative’ rather than ‘participative’ democracy behaviour. This pattern might
also be intentional, related to divergences towards current representation. Another
possible cause noted in our interviews is that the limited sources of internal income to
most of residents forces them to move to the city centre (30 km away) for professional
activities, giving them limited time to deal with the ACEPSJ demands. In this case,
some believe that by strengthening of a solidary economic lifestyle with consequent
generation of income within the community structure could generate more free time and
availability for participation. The visible increase in administrative and executive
workforce demand in the past years in relation to a disproportionate increase in
availability of associates to voluntary activities can also explain the observed pattern.
The hypothesis presented above need to be further investigated and probably operate
in a complimentary manner. Limited participation seems to be a complex emergent
pattern arising from multiple causes.
While the population increase can be seen as one of the causes of limited
participation in voluntary associate activities, we understand that the relatively low
number of residents (around 80) favours an intense social relation and interaction
pattern at the ecovillage. This characteristic can contribute to general community
resilience, once it favours opportunities for communications and therefore resolution of
emergent problems in a self-organizing process. Although the population density is low,
there is a great diversity of knowledge amongst associates, which can also contribute to
the general social-ecological systems resilience.
The proximity of the relation people hold with nature at the community seems to
stimulate residents sensorial field and strengthen the feeling of social-ecological
interdependence, allowing for ecological disturbances to be quickly identified.
To recognize the symbology present in the landscape is also important to
understand the social interaction dynamics favouring resilience. For instance, the
physical space of the Convivial Centre (also known as church) is key to determine
qualitatively the interactions within the Ecovillage. It is in this space where most
shamanic ceremonies, self-knowledge practices, formal governance meetings and
community parties occur. The architecture, images, photographs and artefacts also
resemble the shared values and principles of the community, triggering the individual
memory about moments of profound self-knowledge experimentation and contact with
the sacred.
Finally, a key factor to the success and resilience of the community is the
presence of a strong leadership. The current president of the Administrative Council,
Padrinho Ênio, for instance, was present at every important step and played a
fundamental role in triggering and in the evolution of the self-organization process of the
ecovillage. His coherent profile and strategic governance and ideological vision
stimulate an atmosphere of trust and offer a reference point to guide social interaction.
Another strong point of his leadership is the coordination of competencies, knowledge
and vocations of other community leaders. In fact, leadership is key to the Santo Daime
religion as seen in the history of the doctrine, which is intimately guided by a series of
key leaders, starting with Master Irineu.
Behavioural, psychological and belief aspects that contributes to social-
ecological resilience
A diversity of beliefs systems are shared by residents and visitors to the Céu do
Patriarca ecovillage, and it would be extremely hard, if not impossible, to objectively
characterize them all. The indigenous, christian, kardecist and african spiritism symbolic
matrixes are strongly present in oral communication and ritualistic practices.
Nevertheless, it does not seem to predominate dogmatic and crystallizing approaches
of symbols and beliefs to explicit social interaction control. On the contrary, the
tendency we perceive is the presence of people that seems largely open to comprehend
and reinterpret reality as a consequence of continuous spiritual living and
experimentation. There is a perceptible recurrent tendency in people’s profile to be open
to a prospection of the new in terms of culture, spirituality and technology. It seems that
the act of participation in shamanic or native ceremonies is often a product of some sort
of purpose inherently related to ones’ search of a profound learning experience.
In this regard, the different types of shamanic or native rituals that take place at
the ecovillage are a key learning aspect. Such profound learning experimentations are
based in rituals with varying structures (e.g. long or short duration, more or less flexible,
employment of chants and/or individual and/or collective prays, dialogue forbidden or
stimulated, varying hierarchies e leadership profiles) and contents
(e.g. christian, indigenous, african and spiritism from different groups).
In a context of difficult generalization, we perceive the tendency of a vision of
total interdependence between humans and nature. This is evident, for instance, in the
appreciation of the four elements (earth, fire, air and water), of Mother Earth, stars (e.g.
sun, moon and stars), animals, plants and other symbols that configures respect and
praise to the environment.
Adaptive policies and management that contribute to social-ecological resilience
The organization structure of Céu do Patriarca was inspired, according to our
informants, by the communitarian processes at Acre state (Colônia Cinco Mil, Rio do
Ouro e Céu do Mapiá), taking into account the necessary enhancements and
adaptations to modern times and the local territory. However, they clearly recognize that
adjustments had do be done to accommodate to the differing cultural background of
people in Florianópolis. Today, the community has a well-structured formal institutional
governance framework, including: i) social statute, which institutes the general rules of
the association; ii) internal byelaw, which regulates the associations’ specific and
administrative functioning and convivial norms and; iii) director plan, which regulates
land use and occupation. These documents offer a more clear formal institutional basis
to regulate social interaction in the community. We outline the existence of numerous
formal governance and dialogue spaces or arenas with differing mandates,
representation and deliberative powers (Figure 4). The sophistication of the governance
structure is noteworthy, and today serves as reference to other churches, associations
and communities related to IDACEFLURIS in Brazil and other countries.
The ecovillage have had several opportunities to enhance its governance
structure and strategy. We highlight the recent elaboration of the Communitarian
Development Plan (CDP, 2005), which was further improved by the Institutional
Development Plan (IDP, 2008), both outcomes of participatory assessment and
planning methods lead by an external consultant team. The outcome of these
processes was a plan that is being used to strategically guide the future development of
the ecovillage (Figure 5). Amongst most recent local policies towards sustainability is
the pursue for the creation of a private protected area to be designated by Brazilian
federal legislation (Private Reserve of the Natural Patrimony). In order to finally
designate this protected area, they will have to regularize the land ownership
bureaucracies, which is already been negotiated in justice by the ACEPSJ.
Even though the formal governance institutions (e.g. statute, byelaw and director
plan) were reformed in the past twenty years, a novel participatory mechanism was
implemented in 2010 to continuously care for the institutional adaptation. A permanent
committee was designated to compile and write the results of meetings. When the
volume of change is significant, this committee schedule a General Assembly meeting
to appreciate and deliberate on the adjustment proposals. The first of such a meeting
occurred in May 2011.
These frequent evaluations indicate flexibility in the governance structure and the
capacity to adapt to the regulatory demands and difficulties emerging as the community
develop. The population growth, increased number of visitors, diversification of services
and activities, unexpectedly bring emergent properties (e.g. new social interaction
patterns, potential conflicts) that need to be regulated.
Spiritual governance issues are autonomous from the structure described above.
In this case, a Local Council is elected amongst CEFLURIS Institute and local church
associated members. Nevertheless, the influence of the ceremonies in regulating social
interaction is clear, increasing the governability of the community. The ceremonies
functions as spaces for self-learning and reflection, enabling the creation of
opportunities for resolution of problems (e.g. conflicts), the stimulus of creativity and
critical dialogues amongst participants about individual and collective problems and
opportunities.
There is an ongoing effort to consolidate a social communication strategy
amongst ACEPSJ associates, leaded by a resident journalist (Martini, 2009). Important
documents such as the statute, byelaw, director plan, CDP and IDP are all openly
available to download at the ecovillages’ website. Folders and a community journal are
also communication actions already in place. Transparency and accountability are
aspects favouring resilience, as they: level-off key information access amongst
residents; enable higher social governance control; minimize the emergence of conflicts
and; increase the feedback capacity to undesired disturbances and stresses.
Another outstanding initiative refers to the implementation of a Budget Plan to
contribute with the financial planning, evaluation and monitoring of the association. This
plans’ objective is to consolidate an institutional culture of transparency and
accountability (Curti, 2010). He also showed that associate contributions (taxes for
maintainance and janitorial) and communitary ventures (e.g. titles sales) correspond to
more than 90& of the ACEPSJ budget. Financial independence or autonomy is cited by
Armani (2008) as one of the foundations for institutional credibility. Without autonomy,
an organization may not maintain the necessary coherence between its practices,
principles and mission. Finally, the author outlines that without autonomy, the political
project of the organization may lose consistency, sustainability and legitimacy.
The ACEPSJ is proactive in establishing partnership relations with universities,
NGOs, governmental organizations and indigenous groups, amongst others. The IDP,
for instance, enlist seventeen partner organizations and other eight to which future
partnerships are envisioned. The large number and diverse profile of visitors also
creates opportunities for the establishment of new partnerships in topics of community
interest. Partnerships with academics are also stimulated through extension and
research projects in several knowledge fields. This proactive approach reveals a
resilient policy, where the search for strategic partnerships is recognized as a
mechanism for conflict resolution and opportunity creation.
The shift in managerial and administrative functions amongst ACEPSJ
associates occurs through democratic elections held every three years. However, some
leaders democratically stay in the formal governance structure and thus assure
continuity to long-term policies and strategies. The knowledge accumulated in one
governance cycle is then better transferred and mobilized in the next.
The designation of committees and working groups (Figure 4) stimulates the
existence of functional thematic nodes of collective learning and innovation, increasing
the capacity to solve problems and create opportunities. The reduced spatial scale of
this social-ecological system favours the multiplication of informal opportunities for
social interaction that contributes to governability. Interaction is intense at the
cooperative site, office, community kitchen, restaurant, health house, convivial centre,
pathways and during spiritual ceremonies and communitarian task forces. Together,
formal and informal governance spaces form dynamic interaction nodes that pulses in
active and rapid response to disturbances and change. It is thus natural to conceive that
a process of ‘analytical deliberation’ (Dietz et al., 2003) is favoured, which is considered
a principle for robust governance systems. Analytical deliberation ‘provides improved
information and the trust in it that is essential for information to be used effectively,
builds social capital, and can allow for change and deal with inevitable conflicts well
enough to produce consensus on governance rules’ (Dietz et al., 2003).
More recently, as a response to the problems of participation discussed above, it
was created an horizontal space for strengthening associative participation – without the
formal hierarchy of the governance structure. This new interaction node takes place
regularly, where all associates are invited to raise demands, plan task forces and
integrate the activities of different commissions and working groups.
Figure 4: Formal governance spaces or forums present at the Céu do Patriarca ecovillage. (Figure prepared by Rafael Gué Martini).
Figure 5: Summary of stages and issues dealt during the participative construction of a Community Development Plan for the Céu do Patriarca ecovillage.
Resilience in the past: lessons learned Examples of community resilience in the historical context
Even though there is not a formal policy in place to respond to climate change,
some of the ongoing strategies and technological advancements being though are
capable of dealing with some of its effects. For instance, the community has recently
developed feedback mechanisms in response to a severe drought, which that can be
reactivated in the future. In 2000, a six-month drought hit Florianópolis and the
ecovillages’ river streams almost dried off. In a week’s time a water rationing system
(water clock) was implemented (50L/person/day11). Today, the structure to deal with
limited water provision remains and the rationing system could be initiated very quickly.
This episode also strengthened their plan to buy and preserve the land where the river
springs are located. While the majority of the homes have not yet implemented
rainwater collection systems and dry compostable toilets, the drought has stimulated
some residents to move towards such technologies. In a community level, a demand
was given to the Environmental Committee and the Permaculture Working Group to
study a more efficient structure to deal with water collection, storage and distribution.
In 2008, several months of precipitation culminated with heavy raining by
November in coastal Santa Catarina state. More than a hundred deaths occurred due to
landslides, even affecting some areas of Florianópolis. The ecovillage responded well to
this event, as its mountain slopes are well vegetated. No further harm occurred despite
minor erosions and damages to some pathways. In January 2011, even stronger
localized rains occurred, with precipitation volumes never seen in the history of the
community. While the small river streams that cross the community have drained the
large volume of water, the event triggered preoccupation regarding the stability of some
slopes. Measures are being taken to study the risks of future landslides, i.e. the analysis
of the terrain by a specialist geologist.
Other disturbances occurred in the history of the community, as lack of electric
energy, illegal entrance of hunters and unknown people, amongst others (Table II). In
every occasion, rapid and simple measures were implemented or have brought
attention to emergent problems that are now under further consideration.
11 Minimum value recommended by the World Health Organization.
Table II: Main disturbances and response measures. Dimensions of social-ecological resilience: B = Buffer; SO = Self-Organization; LA = Learning and Adaptation. Increasing degrees of relation with a particular dimension of resilience (0; +/0; 0/+; +). Main disturbances/crisis
Description Response measures B SO LA
Heavy rain
In January of 2011 there was an extremely heavy rain with never seen volumes of precipitation and landslides in one day by community residents
Contact with a geologist to evaluate the risk of households in relation to possible future landslides
0 + +
Water shortage In 2000, a severe drought lasted 180 days
A water clock was installed and a water rationing system was implemented, limiting water consumption to 50 litres/person/Day
+ + +
Electric energy Blackout
In 2008, a general blackout lasted several days in Florianópolis.
Studies are being undertaken on regard to solar energy technologies and implementation of small hydro electrical generators
0 0 +
Entrance of hunters
The richness and abundance of wild fauna in the surrounding forests of the ecovillage attracts hunters from neighbour communities, despite this activity is forbidden by Brazilian legislation
The ecovillage borders are undergoing a more precise demarcation. Warning signals are being placed
+ + 0
Entrance of unknown people
There are no gates in the entrance of the ecovillage. In the past years, there were unknown people walking through the community which caused suspicion
It was taken the decision to construct a gateway in the entrance of the community
+ 0 0
Conflict with neighbour over pathway access
One neighbour believes the main street is his own private property
After they’ve tried to informally negotiate without success, a legal dispute over this issue was initiated
0/+ 0/+ +
Internal indiscipline
Eventually, disrespect of basic social interaction norms occur
The Administrative Council has governance mechanisms that vary from a simple warning to temporary suspension and as a last stance, definite exclusion from the association
+ + 0/+
Failure to establish the community in another site
The pioneers established the church in the continental area of the city, but were forced to abandon due to climatic disturbances (e.g. frost)
They pursued alternative locations to establish the ecovillage, until they found an area at the neighbourhood they are now
0 + +
Resilience in the future: the spread of resilience and reduced vulnerability Current threats and possible scenarios for the future
Extreme climatic events such as prolonged droughts, heavy raining and strong
winds are realistic scenarios for the region, and could become more frequent and
intense due to global climate change. To increase the adaptation capacity in face of
droughts, the expansion in the number of houses currently using alternative
technologies (e.g. dry compostable toilets, rainwater collection systems) would be
desired. ACEPSJ has recently acquired the land where water springs are located. Thus,
the association now has formal and legal jurisdiction over these areas, ensuring a long-
term water supply policy.
Urban growth in Florianópolis city was highlighted by some of our informants as
an issue to be aware of. For instance, a current project by the municipality of the city is
to stimulate the urban development in surrounding areas of the ecovillage. Population
growth could increase the incidence of problems already identified and bring new ones,
such as invasion of unknown people, pressure over natural resources (e.g. hunting,
forest and water usage) and criminality.
While the installation of gateways and fencing the limits of the ecovillage would
certainly minimize some of the problems, extreme population growth could lead to
unmanageable problems. For instance, it is hard to anticipate what would be their
response to illegal land invasion and occupation or other extreme conditions. However,
the historical solidarity profile of local residents makes us believe that pacific options for
conflict resolution would be preferred. The conduction of a coherent neighbourhood
policy becomes important as a way to maintain personal and institutional mechanisms
of communication and solidarity (see next section).
The strengthening of partnerships and communication channels with
governmental agencies (local to national) of various types would also increase their
feedback capacity to disturbances.
Finally, another issue of increased concern to the ecovillages’ residents relates to
food security. The perception of the importance of building more autonomy in food
production is visible. Several strategic actions were discussed during the preparation of
the CDP. Once implemented, they would increase the community adaptive capacity to
contexts of limited external food supply. The modest lifestyle intimately linked to the
natural environment and the body of internal agricultural knowledge and partnership
with indigenous groups are also factors contributing to their social-ecological resilience.
Options for the spread of wider social-ecological resilience
Suggesting specific elements of Céu do Patriarca ecovillage that would
unequivocally contribute to social-ecological resilience elsewhere requires caution.
Basurto and Ostrom (2009) have outlined that a current problem to natural resource
management is the frequent promotion of panaceas or blueprint governance solutions.
Some resilience attributes of the Céu do Patriarca ecovillage are path dependent,
intertwined and sustained by values and principles that guided their self-organization
process and would difficult or impossible to simply reproduce them elsewhere.
Nevertheless, we find that many characteristics of our study site are present in an
increasing number of ecovillages and other types of sustainable communities across the
globe. Some of these ingredients were systematized by the GEN and include
ecological, social, and spiritual dimensions of sustainability.
Away from panaceas, we believe that the experience of Céu do Patriarca
ecovillage can offer a great resilience reference point to other social-ecological systems
with differing profiles and trajectories. The success of the ecovillage indeed attracts
hundreds of visitors yearly in search of concrete examples of the different facets of
sustainability (technological, political, institutional, spiritual, etc). The ecovillage
promotes a variety of courses based on current knowledge and actively seeks new
sources of knowledge. The open doors to those interested in learning and exchanging
knowledge allows for innovative and creative interaction opportunities and enhances the
capacity and will to influence broader societal levels. In fact, the ecovillage exerts
leadership and is solicited to advise other groups in Brazil and other countries.
Finally, the ACEPSJ has already promoted initiatives of communitarian
extension, for instance: donation of seedlings and training for the production of native
plants; support of local sustainable tourism initiatives which values local identities
through the mapping of historical trails and sites; support to the neighbourhoods’ project
of selective domestic solid waste collection.
FINAL CONSIDERATIONS Several factors contributes to the resilience of the Céu do Patriarca ecovillage
(Table III), including aspects that fits those pointed by Folke et al (2003) as important to
the construction of resilience in social-ecological systems. For instance, some aspects
illustrate their: i) capacity to learn and live with change and uncertainty (e.g.
learning obtained with past disturbances, predisposition and profile of people to the
profound experience of learning); ii) incentives given to diversity for reorganization and renewal (e.g. intentional increase of ecological memory and diversity of
technological and spiritual knowledge and practices, promotion of a diverse internal
economy); iii) the combination of different types of knowledge (e.g. promotion of
various courses, participatory evaluations and assessments, technological and spiritual
exchange, multicultural atmosphere actively pursued) and; iv) the creation of opportunities for self-organization (e.g. formal and informal governance atmosphere
encourages the emergence of new partnerships and social support networks).
The studied ecovillage has also key characteristics of an adaptive co-
management system (Armitage et al., 2009), which contributes to social-ecological
resilience. Within the adaptive co-management framework, collaboration amongst
different actors (sharing of power, responsibilities and risks) and learning (experimental
and/or experiential) should predominate in the dynamics of a given social-ecological
system. The collaborative dimension of the ecovillage is clearly evident in their inclusive
and democratic governance approach, mirrored by the existence of numerous formal
governance forums (e.g. councils, committees, working groups). Part of the learning
dimension of the ecovillage is intrinsic to the personal profile of the associates and
visitors, which are generally open to and in pursue of experiential learning experiences.
Experimental learning is also present, for instance, during participatory assessment and
evaluation processes such as the elaboration of the CDP and IDP (Figure 5).
Considering the achievements they have made so far, we conclude that people
engaged with the ecovillage exhibited a high level of transformability in the construction
of their future. Transformability refers to the capacity of people to create a new system
when the actual accumulate ecological, economic, political and social conditions that
makes it untenable (Walker et al., 2004). Transformability emphasizes an active drive to
enhanced social-ecological systems, and not only adaptation to current conditions
(Folke, 2006). These two important aspects of transformability (driven change and
capacity to create the new before unwanted situations) were both present in the
trajectory of the Céu do Patriarca ecovillage. Unhappy with and driven by a
development model considered inadequate and sensitized by the progress at Céu do
Mapiá (Amazon state), ACEPSJ associates not only shown intentionality in the self-
organization process, but have effectively projected in reality their dreams after a 25
year trajectory.
The debate on resilience is recently outlining the differences between specific
and general resilience (Folke et al., 2010). Specific resilience regards problems that
arises from a specific set of disturbances, usually understood as a response to the
question posed by Carpenter et al. (2001) “Resilience of what? To what?”. General
resilience, in turn, outlines the concern with all types of disturbances, including the
unpredictable and completely new ones. The differentiation between general and
specific resilience allows to understand that to invest only in enhancing the resilience of
parts of the system (specific resilience) does not prevent its collapse and shift towards
another state. On the contrary of what one may think, to invest efforts only in the
increase of the resilience of parts of the system may even diminish the systems’ general
resilience (Folke et al., 2010). In this study case, we identified and described aspects of
the ecovillage that are obviously related to eminent specific disturbances such as water
shortage, energy of food (specific resilience). However, we recognize that some of the
described characteristics cannot be clearly related to one sole potential disturbance and
are therefore related to general resilience. These characteristics outline in a certain way
the degree of capacity of the community to deal with uncertainty.
This manuscript has shown that the advancements and experiences
accumulated by the Céu do Patriarca ecovillage offers an outstanding and insightful
case study to think about the various facets of the emerging science of social-ecological
systems resilience. Furthermore, they are also guiding other communities and people in
search of concrete social-ecological systems trajectories that have shown significant
progress in fostering adaptive capabilities and creating opportunities for the long run -
arguably the ultimate goal of sustainable development (Holling, 2001).
REFERENCES Armitage, Derek R, Ryan Plummer, Fikret Berkes, Robert I Arthur, Anthony T Charles, Iain J Davidson-
Hunt, Alan P Diduck, et al. 2009. Adaptive co-management for social–ecological complexity. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment 7, no. 2: 95-102.
Basurto, Xavier, and Elinor Ostrom. 2009. The Core Challenges of Moving Beyond Garrett Hardin. Journal of Natural Resources Policy Research 1, no. 3: 255-259.
Berkes, F., Folke, C. (Eds.), 1998. Linking Social and Ecological Systems: Management Practices and Social Mechanisms for Building Resilience. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK.
Berkes, F., J. Colding, and C. Folke (eds.). 2003. Navigating social-ecological systems: building resilience for complexity and change. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK.
Brand, FS, and Kurt Jax. 2007. Focusing the meaning (s) of resilience: resilience as a descriptive concept and a boundary object. Ecology and Society 12, no. 1.
Christian, L. D. Creating a Life Together: Practical Tools to Grow Ecovillages and Intentional Communities. New Society Publishers, 2003. 272p.
Curti, C.B. 2010. Implementação do Orçamento como Instrumento de Mobilização de Recursos na ACEPSJ. Relatório de Estágio – Terceiro Setor. Graduação em Administração Pública. Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, 36p.
Dietz, Thomas, Elinor Ostrom, and Paul C Stern. 2003. The struggle to govern the commons. Science (New York, N.Y.) 302, no. 5652: 1907-12.
Folke, C. 2006. Resilience: The emergence of a perspective for social–ecological systems analyses. Global Environmental Change 16, no. 3: 253-267.
Folke C, Colding J, Berkes F. 2003. Synthesis: building resilience and adaptive capacity in social-ecological systems. In: Berkes F, Colding J, Folke C, Eds. Navigating social-ecological sys- tems: Building resilience for complexity and change. Cam- bridge: Cambridge University Press. p 352–87.
Goulart, S.L. 2004. Santo Daime: Origens Históricas. In Labate, B.C. and Araújo, W.S. (Eds) O Uso Ritual da Ayahuasca. Campinas, SP: Mercado de Letras; São Paulo: Fapesp.
Gunderson, L.H., Holling, C.S. (Eds.), 2002. Panarchy: Understanding Transformations in Human and Natural Systems. Island Press, Washington DC.
Holling, C.S., 1973. Resilience and stability of ecological systems. Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics 4, 1–23.
Holling, C. S. 2001. Understanding the Complexity of Economic, Ecological, and Social Systems.” Ecosystems 4(5):390-405.
Labate, B.C. and Araújo, W.S. (Eds) O Uso Ritual da Ayahuasca. Campinas, SP: Mercado de Letras; São Paulo: Fapesp.
Martini, R.G. 2009. Educação e Comunicação em Ambiente Associativo: Website como um dispositivo de Educomunicação. Master thesis in Education, Universidade do Estado de Santa Catarina, 201pg.
Martins, Gustavo C. 2007. Proposta de um modelo para a gestão ambiental comunitária utilizando princípios da permacultura: Estudo de Caso ACEPSJ, Florianóopolis - SC. Monografia de graduação em Engenharia Ambiental, UNIVALI, 156pp.
Olsson, Per, Carl Folke, and Fikret Berkes. 2004. Adaptive comanagement for building resilience in social-ecological systems. Environmental Management 34, no. 1: 75-90.
Walker, L. Ecovillage at Ithaca: pioneering a sustainable culture. New Society Publishers, 2005. 256p. Walker, Brian, C S Holling, Stephen R Carpenter, and Ann Kinzig. 2004. Resilience , Adaptability and
Transformability in Social – ecological Systems. Ecology And Society 9, no. 2.
Table III: Summary of the resilience analysis exhibited by the social-ecological system of the Céu do Patriarca ecovillage (Florianópolis city, Santa Catarina state, Brazil). Dimensions of social-ecological resilience: B = Buffer; SO = Self-Organization; LA = Learning and Adaptation. Increasing degrees of relation with a particular dimension of resilience (0; +/0; 0/+; +).
Characteristics that confer social-ecological resilience
B AO AA
Resilience in the present: new, traditional or alternative ways of living
Technologies, knowledge and skills bases that contribute to social-ecological resilience
Search and implementation of sustainable technologies is under way in the areas of food security, energy, health, sanitation and water
+ 0 +
Wide set of knowledge and skills accessible through people in the community and partner institutions (e.g. knowledge about cultivation and manipulation of plants for food and medicinal usages)
0/+ + +
Social structures and relations that contributes to social-ecological resilience
Interaction pattern amongst people centred in a common basis of values 0 + 0 The environment and relatively low number of residents favours a recurrent interaction amongst them
0 + 0
Participatory construction of values and principles that regulate social interaction 0 + 0 Presence of legitimate and robust leadership, which is open to innovation and widely regarded as coherent
0 + 0
Good coordination of competencies amongst several leaderships 0 + 0 Provision of several opportunities for individual and collective learning through formal and informal mechanisms
0 0 +
Respect and stimulus to cultural diversity + 0 + Presence of social support networks + + 0 Symbology present in the landscape (natural and human) stimulate individual memory and contributes towards learning
0 0 +
Behavioural, psychological and belief aspects that contributes to social-ecological resilience
Presence of people that are prospective of experiential learning 0 0 + Openness and search of diversification of shamanic or native rituals with variable structures and contents
0 + +
Share of an ethic of environmental respect, outlining a vision of interdependence between humans and nature
0 + 0
Proactive behaviour in search for new technologies and partnerships with institutions and people
0 0 +
Adaptive policies and management that contribute to social-ecological resilience
Sophisticated but flexible governance structure + + 0/+ Presence of a communication strategy amongst associates + + 0 Transparent and visible governance structure 0 + 0 Presence of systematic experimental learning initiatives 0 0 + Proactive establishment of inter-institutional partnerships (universities, NGOs, governmental agencies, indigenous groups, etc)
+ + +
Incentive to the creation of learning and innovative social interaction nodes is present in the formal governance approach (e.g. commissions and working groups)
0 + +
Maintenance of some leaders within the governance structure confers the capacity to implement long-term policies and strategies
0 + 0
Analytic deliberation processes are favoured 0 + 0
Presence of dynamic mechanism to adjust and adapt formal governance institutions +/0 + + Presence of transparent and objective mechanisms of conflict resolution 0 + 0 Resilience in the past: lessons learned
Examples of community resilience in the historical context
Feedback to ecological disturbances favoured by the proximity of the interaction of residents with nature. Examples of adaptive learning as response to disturbances are given in Table II
+ + +
Governance structure favour rapid feedback in response to disturbances + + + Resilience in the future: the spread of resilience and reduced vulnerability
Current threats and possible scenarios for the future Establishment of a good neighbourhood policy + 0/+ 0 Establishment and strengthening of partnerships and communication channels with governmental agencies
+ 0/+ 0
Clear perception on the importance of building autonomy in terms of food production 0/+ 0/+ + Options for the spread of wider social-ecological resilience
Good reference to other social-ecological systems with diverse profiles and trajectories (e.g. Santo Daime religion networks)
0 0 +
Reception of hundreds of visitors annually, pursuing to learn about the ecovillage or share knowledge, incentive opportunities of creative and innovative interactions
0 + +
Promotion of courses that spread the internal experience of the ecovillage and other courses to bring new knowledge
0 0 +