ARTICLES
Living systems in regenerative practice
Dr Matthew Parnell (PHD) 03/04/26
Introduction
The global regenerative movement has sparked considerable interest across communities, networks, businesses, governments and non-government organizations.
Regenerating Mornington Peninsula is part of this global movement.
If you are new to a regenerative approach, or are not sure what it means, this post will introduce you to some key regenerative principle and how to begin applying this understanding in practice.
Key dimensions
The first key dimension of a regenerative approach is action at the bioregional scale – the local context. At this scale, people and their communities can more readily connect to their local environment and directly experience the impacts of human activity on local ecosystems, good and bad. Supporting regenerative action at the bioregional scale enables restoration and healing of the land and its ecosystems.
Another important foundation of the regenerative approach is understanding living systems. This is about how we can relate to the planet's natural systems as living systems as well as seeing human activity as a living system nested within the world's natural systems. This is not an "ecology" metaphor: human systems are alive!
In the regenerative approach, there is a strong emphasis on encouraging people to embody an understanding of living systems as a fundamental approach to our lifeways and worldviews. This means we need to shift our culture; place our human-centric views of the world in right relationship with nature; and then develop regenerative cultures that heal and regenerate the earth and its ecosystems.
Stories of traditional indigenous practice in caring for country and being in right relationship with all living things deeply inform this perspective. The concept of Gaia – the earth as a self-regulating system of which we are a part – has informed much regenerative thinking and practice as well.
Finally, a regenerative approach not only asks us to engage in social transformation, it also asks for personal transformation: many regenerative practitioners say that the transformation we want is not possible without inner transformation.
Living systems, complexity and change
Living systems are examples of complex adaptive systems. Complex adaptive systems involve many entities in dynamic relationship, interacting in real time and making small and large adaptations, often in unpredictable ways.
Complex adaptive systems also generate new patterns of behaviour in real time – this is called "emergence" in complexity thinking. And emergence is the single most important aspect of complexity for human systems, and by extension, living systems and regenerative practice.
The phenomenon of emergence is a key factor in why human system transformation fail. Given that emergence describes the new patterns that emerge from complex, adaptive interaction without apparent singular cause, these patterns can emerge in transformations, but they usually defy prediction. Consequently, emergent patterns can represent threats as well as opportunities. Even the most noble, ethical actions can generate undesirable emergent patterns or side impacts.
Entering a transformation process places the context broadly within the realm of complexity, increasing the number of emerging patterns, and these patterns may manifest as weak signals at first, and if not identified, may destabilize the transformation.
So, whatever your approach to regeneration, watching for patterns as they emerge and having good strategies in response is essential.
Natural and Human Systems
Seeing our human systems as complex adaptive living systems does not, however, mean we can readily transition to our desired future. While humans and nature are both living systems, there are qualitative differences between them that have substantial implications for how we understand and respond to living systems in regenerative practice.
Natural systems encompass the earth's ecosphere, biosphere and atmosphere. Human systems are fully nested within natural systems, and both are living systems with shared and differing qualities as listed below.
Natural and Human systems generally share the following qualities:
adaptability to change
many diverse and dynamic interrelationships
instinctive ability to self-organize in response to changes in the environment
expression of dynamic equilibrium and non-equilibrium, depending on context
open to internal and external influences
capable of learning through feedback processes
experience emergence, creating new patterns from system interactions
co-evolving in relation with other living beings
display a range of adaptive behaviour and resilience
constrained by system qualities
nested, interactional and fractal
capable of self-maintaining, self-regulating and self-regenerating.
Human systems also have some significant qualitative differences from natural systems:
a multi-faceted, interactive and relational character – we can be many different things, often at the same time
integrate our social, technological, economic, educational and cultural systems with our natural systems
purposeful
we can choose a regenerative path or a degenerative path
creative and self-efficacious – we can conceive of alternative futures and take action to realize them
capable of personal and group reflection
values-based
expressing moral, ethical, cultural values (or lack of)
conscious in our approach to self-organization, rather than instinctive, generating both wanted and unwanted outcomes regardless of intent
capable of cooperation and competition
tends towards being extractive and disruptive to natural systems, causing damage beyond ecosystem limits
pattern-seeking for meaning-making
able to experience life and relationships with others from a transpersonal perspective
We must understand that we are living systems nested fully within the natural systems of the earth and that we are the one's consciously and unconsciously degrading earth's natural systems. Because of our special qualities, we must consciously take responsibility for the impacts of human activity on the natural world, and to change the destructive path we are on. Observing and listening to natural systems will help us meet that responsibility and would be a good start.
Closing thoughts
Transformation processes towards a sustainable and regenerative future must reflect living systems to best activate, implement, embed and sustain human initiatives through continual, multi-faceted action.
I encourage everyone to see and experience human systems such as networks, organizations, institutions, communities, groups and teams as living systems nested within natural systems in constant dynamic interaction, because the system changes as you work with it!
In this way, you will develop new ways of understanding not only the dynamics within such social groups, but also how to effectively sustain transformation initiatives and regenerate both human and natural systems.