Octa Cultures

References and glossary.

The sources behind the claims on this site, and the terms we use to describe our work.

Sources

Ecoregions and bioregions (used on Mission and Methodology)

  • One Earth. One Earth Bioregions Framework. This nests 844 ecoregions within 185 bioregions, 52 habitable subrealms and 14 biogeographical realms. https://www.oneearth.org/bioregions-2023
  • Dinerstein, E. et al. (2017). An ecoregion-based approach to protecting half the terrestrial realm. BioScience, 67(6), 534–545. https://doi.org/10.1093/biosci/bix014. This is the ecoregion map behind the framework.

Human activity since the mid-20th century (used on Home and Mission)

  • Steffen, W., Broadgate, W., Deutsch, L., Gaffney, O. & Ludwig, C. (2015). The trajectory of the Anthropocene: The Great Acceleration. The Anthropocene Review, 2(1), 81–98. https://doi.org/10.1177/2053019614564785

Humanity as a geological force (used on Mission)

Earth-system stability and the integrity of the biosphere (used on Home and Mission)

  • Rockström, J. et al. (2009). A safe operating space for humanity. Nature, 461, 472–475. https://doi.org/10.1038/461472a. The original planetary boundaries framework.
  • Steffen, W. et al. (2015). Planetary boundaries: Guiding human development on a changing planet. Science, 347(6223), 1259855. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1259855
  • Richardson, K. et al. (2023). Earth beyond six of nine planetary boundaries. Science Advances, 9(37), eadh2458. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adh2458. The latest full peer-reviewed update.
  • Planetary Boundaries Science (PBScience) (2026). Planetary Health Check 2026. Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, Potsdam, Germany. https://www.planetaryhealthcheck.org/. The latest annual assessment: seven of nine boundaries crossed, including biosphere integrity.

Glossary

The Octa Methodology

Octa Methodology
The framework Octa Cultures created and holds for understanding the world and acting within it. It is organised by three goals and works across eight aspects of life, through eight sections of work.
Goals
Unity, Self-Sufficiency and Discretion. They set what the work aims for, and they are the criteria every solution is weighed against. Together they serve human freedom and the flourishing of life.
Unity
Voluntary cooperation and balanced coexistence among the eight cultures of Earth. Unity is not uniformity.
Self-Sufficiency
The capacity of people and places to meet their essential needs through regenerative systems and the responsible use of resources. Self-Sufficiency is not isolation.
Discretion
Sound judgement about what to share, with whom, and when. Discretion is not secrecy.
Aspect
One of the eight fields of attention through which the Methodology examines the world: Ecological, Biological, Economic, Political, Social, Technological, Mental and Spiritual.
Culture
An inclusive word for a form of biological life. The Methodology recognises eight cultures, each of equal importance: Human, Animal, Plant, Insect, Aquatic, Algae, Fungi and Bacteria.
Four forces
Light, Air, Water and Earth. These are the cosmological, atmospheric, hydrological and geological conditions that make Earth a home for life. They are studied within the Ecological aspect.
Section
One of the eight stages of work in the Methodology, from Objective & Goals to Work Specification.
Soft work and hard work
Soft work is research, analysis, design and planning. Hard work is building, implementing and operating in the physical world. The work moves between the two in a continuous feedback loop.

Places and scales

Scale
A level at which the Methodology applies: Individual, Ecoregion, Bioregion, Subrealm, Realm, Global and Solar System. The galactic and universal scales lie beyond the scope of our work today.
Individual
A single person, and the smallest scale.
Ecoregion
An area in which ecosystems share broadly similar environmental conditions and communities of life. Octa Cultures organises its mission across 846 recognised ecoregions.
Bioregion
A grouping of ecoregions by larger patterns of climate, landform and biology.
Subrealm
A grouping of bioregions within a realm. The framework identifies 52 habitable subrealms.
Realm
One of the largest divisions of Earth’s living systems, grouping subrealms at roughly continental scale.
Global
Earth as a whole.
Solar System
Earth within the wider solar system.
Carrying capacity
How much activity and population a place can sustain without degrading the ecological conditions it depends on.

Earth and life

Biosphere
The thin layer of Earth where life exists, across land, water and air, together with all the living things in it.
Earth system
Earth’s interacting physical, chemical and biological processes. Atmosphere, oceans, land, ice and life together regulate the planet’s conditions.
Polycrisis
Many interacting crises happening at once, creating emergent impacts that deepen the others.
Preservation
Protecting places that are still ecologically functional before they become degraded. This is Octa Cultures’ first priority.
Restoration and regeneration
Repairing degraded ecosystems and helping them recover their capacity to sustain life.

The Octa ecosystem

Octa Cultures
The organisation that holds the Octa Methodology and carries the mission to preserve and steward the eight cultures of Earth. It is currently being developed within Octa HQ.
Octa HQ
The incubator founded to support Octa Cultures. It creates the environment and capacities to apply the Methodology across projects and enterprises.
Seed
A core capability developed within Octa HQ to support the mission.
Fruit
An independent enterprise built on the Octa Methodology and one or more Seeds, applied to a particular location, sector or need.
Five-stakeholder model
The governance model applied throughout all initiatives and enterprises within the Octa Ecosystem, including Seeds and Fruits. Its five stakeholders are Octa Cultures, Octa HQ, Investors, Executive and Working Members. Nature gets paid first. Under the current model, each holds 20% of voting rights and receives 20% of profit distributions.
Nature and Methodology seat
Octa Cultures’ seat in each enterprise. From it, Octa Cultures represents the interests of nature and keeps the enterprise aligned with the Methodology.
Octa Curriculum
An interactive, first-principles introduction to the eight aspects of life on Earth, for students aged 13 to 16 and above.