Geraldine Meneses Ortiz

According to the Greek constitution: “highly productive agricultural land constitutes an environmental asset which state governing bodies are mandated to protect under Article 24 of the Constitution based on the principle of sustainable development.” Since the wildfire of August 2021, the government-backed planning commission, DIAZOMA, has been working on strategies to redevelop the remaining and burnt forests of northern Evia; thus far, these plans appear to be driven by commercial development interests and without regard for existing residents, ecologies, and economies. This project aims to encourage and enhance the claim-making process for “High Productivity Zones” as a method to create disruptions within the “DIAZOMA” Reconstruction plan.

Permaculture is an approach to land management that adopts arrangements observed in flourishing natural ecosystems and includes a set of design principles derived using whole-systems thinking. Agroforestry and regenerative farming, two major components of permaculture, can diversify land productivity while restoring soil fertility, enhancing moisture retention, and improving biodiversity. Additionally, permaculture supports traditional vocational practices customary to Northern Euboea communities, such as shepherding, beekeeping, resin farming, and logging.

Potential sites for this alternative mode of post-wildfire reconstruction and reforestation have been identified throughout North Evia based on locations’ suitability for specific forestry practices, existing land-use zoning, presence of various plant species, and proximity to community stakeholders. For example, locations with overlapping mixed/broad-leafed forest, arable land, fruit trees, and agriculture interspersed with natural vegetation present ideal opportunities for implementation. These zones would consist of diverse, productive eco-communities that would simultaneously improve the landscape’s resilience to shifting climate conditions by establishing a more robust and water-retentive ecosystem.

The embroidery assemblage map articulates the intricacies of weaving a grassroots movement from multiple layers of interests, scales, and contributors that result in a tapestry of community solidarity and an ecology of social commoning. This methodical, hands-on experimentation serves as an interpretation of coalescing social, economic, and ecological perspectives. At the same time, it is an experimental exercise that invites to create an instance of conversation about these issues in the communities and to approach technical issues in a more friendly way through embroidery.