“Animals are the moveable parts of forests.” Bill Mollison

Needs and Yields AnalysisNeeds and Yields Analysis

The function of animals in the ecosystemis to recycle & distribute nutrients & seeds.

“Eggmobiles” & chickens on grass forage (Milan, Italy).

Animals are mediators / translators in cultivated systemslinking us with the plants & animals they consume.

Jungles of SE Asia

Forests - Europe, India

Swamps / Forests - Europe

Rocky /Mountain Areas

Animal origins guide our use & placement

Select animals for:Size & range;Main products;Climate suitability;Hardiness, parasite / disease resistance;Foraging ability;Temperament;Ease of birth / mothering;Quality of wool, feathers…Resale value…

Rotational chicken tillage / forage system.

Llamas, like donkeys & burros, consume rough browse, are effective guard animals for animals like sheep, tolerate temperature extremes, are adapted

to rough terrain.

Fodder trees, shelter belts, & windbreaks protect against drought, reduce need to make & store hay, increase yield of pasture & mine deep nutrients, reduce animal stress & new-born mortality.

Animals provide a domestic supply of milk, meat, eggs, & wool. They can also maintain undergrowth in woodlots & firebreaks.

Highland cattle in Austria

Animals perform valuable work, contribute to the structure of a full ecosystem & create

products useful to other animals or humans.

Short drilled logs & wood blocks are nesting sites for mason bees which provide early spring pollination for this Croatian orchard.

Beehives in Slovenia

Milan, Italy

A clearing-house for information on threatened, rare livestock breeds & genetic diversity. Modern food production favors the use of a few highly specialized breeds selected for maximum output in a controlled environment.  Many traditional livestock breeds have lost popularity & are threatened with extinction. They are an essential part of our agricultural inheritance. Not only do they evoke our past, they are also an important resource for our future.

Tennessee fainting goat

Most designs will have wild animals, if only the birds that migrate through or are temporary residents. Often the larger wild animals --

rabbits, woodchucks, deer -- are seen as pests. Lack of predators allows these populations to increase to a point where they exceed natural food supplies. People’s gardens are like supermarkets to them. Bats are one

of the most important, & often overlooked, wild animals in design.

Llama & Vicuna

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