Permaculture Zone 5

The principle of zoning in permaculture is that whatever is in most need of human attention should be placed closest to the centre of human activity. The furthest zone is ‘zone 5’. It is the wilderness... ie. the place where the needs of wild plants and animals take top priority. Yields of produce for human use are only taken when do so benefits the wild species, as when a flower meadow is mown for hay. Every permaculture design, however small, should have a zone 5.