The author defines ecological democracy as "government by the people emphasizing direct, hands-on involvement. Actions are guided by understanding natural processes and social relationships within our locality and the larger environmental context" (p. 4). As such it seems to be similar to the international term 'ecosystem approach', defined by UNEP as governance balanced between the three objectives of conservation, sustainable use and fair and equitable sharing of the benefits. First and foremost this is a book about design-exemplification, discussion and analysis of design issues and ideas form the bulk of it. Democracy and its attendant issues of local governance, fairness and equity occupy most of the rest of the book. There is less attention given to ecology, the science of the economy of animals and plants, or to environmental sciences in general, although there are several simple descriptions of ecosystems that provide context and illuminate design principles.
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