This article was first published on the Ecosystems Innovation Substack by John Stubley, with sub editing by Sol Slattery and Shenali Perera. Follow Ecosystems Innovation for more insights from our colleagues in Western Australia on the world of restoration.
Eco-systems transformation happens through a system being able to collectively see and sense itself as a system. To do this, different ways of mapping and mirroring are needed.
Earlier this year Commonland started working with Western Australian systems thinker Joni Sercombe to begin mapping the various stakeholders who are in some way connected to holistic landscape restoration and healing Country.
Since that time Joni has also been working with the RegenWA team to map their membership and activities related to regenerative agriculture across the state and, interestingly, far beyond.
The following four interactive maps are now being shared on the RegenWA website homepage:
Click on the mage to go to the RegenWA homepage with the interactive map
Above is an interactive map of all 2,123 members (comprising 32% landholders and 68% stakeholders and consumers) from around the world (as at June, 2026), including their type of engagement.
Click on the mage to go to the RegenWA homepage with the interactive map
Above is an interactive map of members colour coded according to their type of engagement. This includes farmers already practicing regenerative agriculture, farmers who are interested onlookers, industry stakeholders, consumers and others.
Click on the mage to go to the RegenWA homepage with the interactive map
Above is an interactive map showing RegenWA events by location. Over 800 people have attended 42+ events since 2023.
Click on the mage to go to the RegenWA homepage with the interactive map
And above is an interactive map showing RegenWA events by stakeholder types.
Not only do these maps help visualise the vast reach and impact of RegenWA’s work, they are an important component of enabling a system to see and sense itself. This is done by not only mapping individuals, but also their interests, their connection to places, and, in part, their relationships with one another.
As Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) systems specialist Otto Scharmer puts it (as a four step process both here and here):
1. You can’t understand a system unless you change it (Kurt Lewin)
2. You can’t change a system unless you transform consciousness/mindset
3. You can’t transform consciousness unless you make a system see and sense itself
4. And you cannot do that without creating new practice fields and holding spaces supporting that shift.
These mapping processes form an initial part of the new practice fields and holding spaces for helping a system to collectively see and sense itself. More spaces and more mapping work will continue to take place into the future.
One such space will be the upcoming Eco-Systems Innovation Lab in Western Australia. This lab will also include a number of public events, the first of which is the Eco-Systems Activation Day at Murdoch University on October 16—if you would like to join, you can register for free here.
To view the interactive mapping on the RegenWA website click here.
To become a RegenWA member click here. To check out upcoming RegenWA events click here.
This is how RegenWA described the mapping in their latest newsletter:“Since its inception in 2017, RegenWA has grown its membership from nought to 2,123 (comprising 32% landholders and 68% stakeholders and consumers), delivered events across the whole state, and continues to expand to audiences well beyond the confines of WA. Working alongside Joni Sercombe through generous support from our key partners, Commonland, we’re now finding new ways to communicate this reach and impact. Go to our home page to click through maps demonstrating the sweeping geographies, array of stakeholder types, and breadth of topics our work has involved to date…”
Article by John Stubley, with sub editing by Shenali Perera and Sol Slattery.
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