In this corner of the Eastern Mediterranean, the peculiarities of climate and topography create an almost magical picture, giving people the feeling that they are lucky to live here. But as much as we appreciate the wild natural beauty and rich traditions of our land, we cannot overlook the fact that in most of the country, the natural environment has now become a mosaic of degraded ecosystems and highly eroded landscapes with shallow poor soils that can only support a few hardy plant species. Repeated fires and misguided natural resource management policies further accelerate desertification, raising issues of water and food security in many areas. This situation is the local manifestation of a phenomenon of environmental degradation that is evolving on a global scale, with different intensity and speed in each region, and highlights the need for local solutions, adapted to the capabilities and specificities of local communities and ecosystems.

As the climate changes unpredictably, the only way to prevent the coming deep ecological crises and ensure our survival and well-being in this place is to mobilise and seek to regenerate local ecosystems and restore them to a natural state of balance. Now, more than ever, there is a need to look for ways to integrate human activity into the natural environment with respect and awareness of the limits set by nature itself, and to turn our impact into a factor that promotes complexity and diversity, thus enhancing the resilience and adaptability of natural ecosystems.

There are currently hundreds of small and large-scale projects around the world that are working in this direction, achieving positive changes that benefit both local communities and the ecosystems that surround them. Following the principles and practices of the permaculture design system, they develop and transmit the necessary intellectual tools and appropriate practices for the restructuring of production and natural resource management systems, acting both as cells of regenerative activity and as examples and reference points.