Natural Boundaries

[Ron Kaneen]

John Grehan talks about "natural" boundaries.  However I think this idea
may tend to over-compatmentalize things.  When boundaries are drawn on a
map, or any other surface for that matter, be they political, ecological,
or whatever, is there anything natural about them, or are they all artifical?

The problem with trying to draw boundaries around things in nature is that
the boundary may not be stable and can be very hazy.  Nature does not obey
a line just because we have drawn it.  As well, at any such boundary
whatever is on either side may be recognizable, but there is usually some
zone of "blending" inbetween.  Is there any way to show a truly natural
boundary?


Colin Kaneen