Welcome to the bioregion of South Devon. 

From prehistoric times onwards this place has been on a leading edge of innovation and change. Today we are a seedbed of innovation in soil restoration, organic farming, community-supported fishing, rewilding, the circular economy, social enterprise, re-localising procurement, community action and leveraging systems change with small-scale interventions. We are, together, growing a learning region for a climate resilient future.

Our latest project:

Exploring saltmarshes along the Dart Estuary, sharing river knowledge,

finding paths to understanding and action for communities of interest.

How can we help to protect this vital ecosystem and carbon store?

As a team with a wide range of skills, how did we approach The Saltmarsh Project?

Watch this short intro to the project and then explore the ART + ECOLOGY film series on our project page

What we do

Building collaborations to shift South Devon towards long-term climate resilience. We work in and at the intersection of economy, ecology, learning, arts and culture and the gaps in between. We are a learning centre and action learning lab located on the River Dart.
What we do falls into 3 strands of work.

Exploring the food shed; Guy Watson sharing his experience on a BLC Learning Journey.

Why we are different

We work through designing, convening, facilitating, informing, linking and generating collective will so that individuals, communities, businesses and whole sectors can co-design the road maps and tools for making change happen themselves. BLC was founded in early 2017 in South Devon by three experts in design for regeneration, communications and ecology. What we do today as a team is only possible because of the web of connections we have built in this place and the practical experience we have gained living here–in education, start-up culture, local collaborative governance, participatory environmental planning and community-based climate adaptation.

Foregrounding civil society

We give a central role to civil society in driving the kind of shifts needed to confront climate change and biodiversity loss, alongside government and the public and private sectors–breaking down silos, putting economies and ecologies in dialogue with each other, hearing and valuing all the voices in an equitable way. To achieve systemic responses at appropriate scale, in which everyone can find a place, we employ learning, design and creativity in an ‘all-together’ process, equally valuing local know-how and expert knowledge.

Bringing the River Dart into the room for the South Devon Catchments Partnership.

Another current project

The Devon Doughnut Collective is a growing group of over 170 changemakers putting the ideas of Doughnut Economics into practice in Devon in the UK. Check out our co-created interactive Devon Doughnut. Now the 44 pathway projects are ready to be worked on and the Doughnut evolved to make it relevant across Devon.

Sessions

Months

Doughnut Makers

Hours contributed

Meet the team

The Bioregional Learning Centre is the brain-child of Isabel Carlisle and, since it’s formation in 2017, the team has been growing into a multi-skilled and passionate group of people who are all deeply committed to protect and improve the South Devon Bioregion and others all around the world…

Paul Pivcevic

Paul Pivcevic

Jane Brady

Jane Brady

Isabel Carlisle

Isabel Carlisle

Nick Paling

Nick Paling

Elena Plugaru

Elena Plugaru

Supporters

Collaborators and networks

We would love to hear from you
Say hello!

We work in and at the intersection of economy, ecology, learning, arts and culture and the gaps in between.