Human activities are causing severe environmental degradation on the planet (Wiedmann, Lenzen, Keyßer, & Steinberger, 2020). In ecovillages, people attempt to innovate, practice and share more sustainable ways of living. As a result of these efforts, people living in ecovillages has been able to minimize their ecological impact significantly (Daly, 2017). There has been increasing acknowledgements on the significance of ecovillages in being potential change agents towards a more sustainable society as they provide learning opportunities in sustainable living (Albrecht, 2016). However, new ecovillage initiatives face various challenges in their establishment including acquiring land, gathering resources, attracting and retaining people, managing conflicts, and many more This thesis describes the establishment process of an aspiring ecovillage initiative in Fuli, Taiwan and identify and explore the relationship of key contributing factors in its ecovillage establishment. Data is collected through participant observation, semi-structured interviews of ecovillage stakeholders, and examining publication materials. Finding shows that the ecovillage follows action plan and six strategies that enable the ecovillage to make considerable progress. The strategies guide them to highlight economy as a starting point towards ecovillage development and allow them to build self-reliance. However, they often have to sacrifice ecological ideals in their economic practices, which could potentially dilute their ecovillage identity. From this study it is suggested that formulating actionable action plan, executing actions and create gradual improvements are important processes for new ecovillage initiatives. New ecovillage initiatives could also consider the economic dimension as a practical entrance point towards ecovillage development.

ABSTRACT i
TABLE OF CONTENTS iii
LIST OF FIGURES vii
LIST OF TABLES ix
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1
1.1 Background 1
1.2 Aim of research 3
CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 5
2.1 What are ecovillages? 5
2. 2 Ecovillage principles 7
2.3 Common practices in ecovillage 9
2.4 Significance of ecovillages 12
2.5 Challenges faced by ecovillages 13
2.6 Opportunities for ecovillages 15
2.7 Critics to ecovillage movement 16
2.8 Literature gap 16
CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY 17
3.1 Site Selection 17
3.2 Study Site Description 18
3.3 Research Questions 19
3.4 Data Collection 20
3.4.1 Participant observation 20
3.4.2 Semi-structured interview 22
3.4.3 Secondary Data Collection 24
3.5 Data Processing and Analysis 25
3.6 Limitations of research 26
3.7 Ethical considerations 26
3.8 Researcher’s Identity 27
CHAPTER 4: SUN CLOVER ECOVILLAGE DEVELOPMENT PROCESS 29
4.4 Sun Clover Ecovillage development process 29
4.4.1 Phase I: Initial Stage (2014-2017) 29
i. Initial Action Plan 30
ii. Finding an Area to Establish Ecovillage 31
4.4.2 Phase II: Moving into Luoshan Village (2017-2020) 34
i. Staying afloat, experimenting with rice farming, and building income stream 34
ii. Sharing session in the city and recruiting people 36
iii. Creating an online community 37
iv. Learning about socio-ecological context 38
v. Acquiring the land 39
vi. Developing relationship with local people 41
vii. Exploring other aspects of ecovillage 43
4.5 Current Status of SCEV (September 2020) 47
CHAPTER 5: ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSIONS 53
5.1 Intentions and motivation behind the establishment of SCEV 53
5.1.1 The vision of the ecovillage 54
5.1.2 Initial imagination of the ecovillage model 55
5.2 Action Cycle and Underlying strategies of SCEV Development 56
5.2.1 Action cycle 56
5.2.2 Underlying Strategies in SCEV development 60
i. Building through self-reliance and self-sufficiency 60
ii. Ensuring capacity to continue 62
iii. Balancing between ideals and practicality 64
iv. Integrated action 65
v. Context-based approach 66
vi. Build slow and take the time to develop 68
5.3 Discussions 69
5.3.1 Starting from the economy 69
5.3.2 Economy in Ecovillage 71
5.3.3 Implications of the action cycle and strategies 72
5.3.4 Intermediary to the mainstream 76
CHAPTER 6: CONCLUSIONS 77
6.1 Conclusion 77
6.2 Recommendations 80
6.2.1 Recommendations for Sun Clover Ecovillage 80
6.2.2 Recommendations for further research 80
REFERENCES 83
APPENDICES 87
Appendix 1: Interview guide for Co-Founders 87
Appendix 2: Interview guide for Ecovillage Supporters 89
Appendix 3: Interview Guide for Local Leaders 91

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