My Vision of Regeneration

Rooted in land, memory and responsibility

by Ylla Regenera

Regeneration, from the perspective I’ve been walking with, is not a distant theory. It’s something that rises from the land itself, from the stories held in the soil, from the rhythms of tides, from the communities that know how to care because they’ve always cared.

For me, regeneration begins with territorial identity. It means knowing where you stand, and understanding that you don’t walk alone. You walk with your ancestors, with your neighbors, with the forest, the tide, and the wind. Territory is not just a physical space, it’s a collective body, a spiritual ground, a political act.

To regenerate is to care for the shared goods of a territory, not just for economic value or conservation, but out of love, responsibility and memory. The commons are not abstract to me. They’re the water we drink, the mangrove that feeds us, the knowledge passed down in community circles. They are alive.

The mangrove, in particular, holds a powerful place in my vision. It is where the land breathes, where salt and sweetness meet. It is shelter, nursery, medicine. The mangrove is both protection and provider. It absorbs carbon not only as a climate function — but as a lesson in balance, resilience, and reciprocity. It shows us how to hold life together, even when everything else seems to be falling apart.

Regeneration is not something we impose on the land. It’s something we co-create with the land. And it only happens when we return to relationship — with territory, with community, and with ourselves.

This is the path I choose. Rooted. Regenerative. Ours.

Starting on mangrove.