There are two main sets of Permaculture Principles:
One based on Bill Mollinson's Designers Manual
and more recent David Holmgren's Principles.
http://holmgren.com.au/essence-of-permaculture-free/




PERMACULTURE PRINCIPLES based on Bill's work
See http://www.permaculturefundamentals.com/  for a good over view and graphics on Bill,s Principles and Ethics.

Mollinsonian principles:

Work with nature rather than against it

The problem is the solution

Make the least possible change for the greatest possible effect.

The yield of the system is theoretically unlimited.

Everything gardens.




Permaculture Principles

Maximise Edge

The creation of complex boundary conditions is a basic design

strategy for creating spatial and temporal niches.

Edges are rich because;-

1. Particles may accumulate or deposit there.

2. Special unique niches are available in space and time within the

boundary itself.

3. The resources of the two adjoining habitats are available at the

boundary or nearby.




Diversity of Connections (Principle of stability)

It is not the number of diverse things in a design that leads to

stability, it is the number of beneficial connections between these

components. A simple well connected system may be very stable.




Multiple Functions

Each element should have multiple functions. (but not forced)

Every essential function should be supported by many components.


Relative Location (self regulation)-

The purpose of a functional and self regulating design is to place

elements or components in such away that each serves the needs and

accepts the products of other elements.




Energy Recycling

Whenever possible energy should be recycled on site




Succession -

Pioneers, biennials, shrub perennials, pioneer trees, climax trees.

In Permaculture we plant all stages of the succession at once.




Stacking

Stacking allows the additional use of vertical space, seasonal variation. This helps to increase diversity and the potential for greater yield.

Use polyculture and diversity of beneficial species to create a productive interactive system




Patterning -

Patterning permits elements to flow and function in beneficial

relationships. The pattern is design, and design is the subject of

permaculture.

We need to perceive patterns that already exist and see how they

function. Then we impose these on a specific site.

Types of Pattern

Mosaics

Spirals

Overjet mushroom model

Vortices Von Karman trail

Wind over trees Ekman spirals

Tree pattern

Appropriate patterning in the design process can assist the achievement

of a sustainable yield from flows, growth forms and timing or

information flux.


Obtain a Yield and Potential unlimited Yield

Yield is not a fixed sum in any design system. It is the measure of

comprehension, understanding and ability of the designers and managers

of that design.

Yield has no limits It is any useful resource surplus to the needs of the local system

and thus is available for use, trade or export.

Yields may be in the form of product, energy, health, security,

lifestyle happiness etc..


The system yield of a good design is the sum total of surplus energy

produced by, stored, conserved, reused or converted by the design.

Energy is in surplus once a system itself has available all its needs

for growth, reproduction and maintenance.




In Permaculture we intervene to supply the missing elements and to guide

the system evolution.




Use biological resources in preference to fossil fuel based resources


Other things to consider

Important aspects of design to-

Care for surviving natural assemblies, to leave wilderness to heal

itself.

Rehabilitate degraded or eroded land using complex pioneer species

followed by long term plant assemblies.

Create our own complex living environment with as many species as we can

save, or have a need for, from wherever on earth they come from.

Law of return

Whatever we take, we must return

or Nature demands a return for every gift received.

or Every object must responsibly provide for its replacement. Society

must as a condition of use replace an equal or greater resource than

that used.




Different types of resources;

Those which increase by modest use.

Those unaffected by use.

Those which disappear or degrade if not used.

Those reduced by use

Those which pollute or destroy other resources if used.(These need to be

banned)




Cycles are opportunities in time.

Every cyclical event increases the opportunity for yield.

To increase cycling is to increase yield.




Time is a resource that can accumulate in an ecosystem (eg. an old tree)




A niche is a place to be, to fit in and find food, shelter and room to

operate.




Principle of disorder

Order and harmony produce energy for other uses.

Disorder consumes energy to no useful end.

But neatness tidiness, uniformity and straightness signify an energy

maintained disorder in natural systems.




Stress is the prevention of natural function or of forced function.




Harmony is the integration of chosen and natural functions, and the =

supply of essential needs.




Information is the critical potential resource. It becomes a resource

only when obtained and acted upon.







A pollutant is an output of any component that is not being used

productively by any other component of the system.




Extra work is the result of an input not automatically provided for by

another component of the system.




Methods of Design-

Analysis -

Design by listing the characteristics of a component.

Inputs, Outputs and Intrinsics. (breed characteristics)

Making connections between the components.

Observation -

By expanding an direct observation of a site.

Use all senses sight, sound, touch, smell and gnowing(undefined

feelings).

Use either a child like approach, non selective, or a thematic

approach(eg water, or potential energy), or instrumental approach (eg

measuring temperature etc.), or experiential approach using all our

senses as instruments, (being fully concious of feelings, ambiance,

sensations) or gnowing using techniques like dowsing, muscle testing or

spirit guides.

Deduction from nature -

Design by adopting the lessons learn from nature

Structure, process, landscape,philosophy. Use natures information.

Options and decisions -

Design as a selection of options or pathways based on decisions. Relate

to people time resources etc..

Priorities, stages of procedure, possible choices of many potential

outcomes linked to the aims, lifestyle and resources of the clients.

Sensible design gives a place to start and achievable practical choices.

Data overlay -

Design by map overlays. Good overview and site plan.

Random assembly -

Design by assessing the results of random assemblies. Allows creative,

innovative design.

Connect components using Attached to, beside, around, over, in, on, under, containing.

Restate a problem many ways, reverse the traditional approaches and allow

every solution to be considered.

Often the real solution lies in areas away from acquired knowledge and

values.

Flow diagrams -

Design for work places. Go through the processes involved and where

people, elements etc have to move.

Zone and Sector analysis -

Designing a primary energy conserving placement for the whole site.

Zones are based on the energy available on the site. Zones of use. of

access, of time available

Zone 00 individual people internal.

Zone 0 house or dwelling, or settlement.

Zone 1 components needing continual observation, frequent visits, work

input.

Culinary herbs, salad vegetables, small domestic animals, chicken laying

boxes, rainwater catchment, propagating area.

Zone 2 less intensively managed, main crop veg, ranging domestic animals,

lightly pruned orchards.

Zone 3 farm zone commercial zone, animals for sale, large water storage,

unpruned orchards.

Zone 4 wild gathering, forest fuel needs, volunteer trees.

Zone 5 natural unmanaged environment.

Zones deform to fit the landscape and are based on the number of times

the area is visited, the number of times the plant, animal etc needs you

to visit it.




Every element should be placed according to both zones and sectors.




Relate zones to slope, aspect, elevation and orientation.




Develop the nearest area first, get it under control and then expand the

perimeter. A single perimeter will enclose all your needs.

Zoning of information and ethics we need to understand that;

1 everything is of use. It is not necessarily needed by people, but it

is needed by the life complex of which we are a dependent part.

2. we cannot order complex functions. They must evolve of themselves.

3. We cannot know a fraction of what exists. We will always be a minor

part of the total information system.




A Guild is a harmonious assembly of species clustered around a central

element. This assembly acts in relation to the element to assist its

health, aid our work in management, or buffer adverse environmental

effects.




For The Design Process

Locate and cost components

Plan in easily achievable parts

Priority for zone 0,1,2.

Design thoroughly on paper

Set priorities based on economic reality

Locate and trade components locally and cheaply.

Develop a nucleus completely.

expand on information

Set small achievable tasks.

Success depends on acceptance and implementation.




Permaculture Web sites

www.permaculture.org.uk

www.permaculture.co.uk

More examples of these principles

Work with nature and not against it

Tony Rinaldo spent years trying to plant trees to re-afforest desert areas.
He finally realised that the trees were already in the desert but in a grazed coppice form and very small.  By selecting one stem to grow on into a tree
and keeping stock away for a few years he has managed to help farmers re-afforest millions of hectares of desert to productive natural forest.
Watch the You tube below.

On Backsbottom Farm the sheep are allowed to move around the farm in the summer as they wish.
They alternate from the warmer more midgey bottom up onto the fell land. As they move up and down they wear down the feet on our track and this stops them getting foot rot. They also get a good variety of herbs in the different fields.
Our hay meadows are cut once a year after July 24th and no fertility is added. Over the years the fields have developed a great diversity of plants. These include nitrogen fixers; birds foot trefoil (This is used for its worming qualities in New Zealand), red and white clovers. Deep rooting plantains which are good for bringing minerals to the surface.  These fields also have a healthy population of earthworms which help aerate and add fertility to the soil. The worms attract in the moles, who open up the soil structure and prevent waterlogging. The moles bring soil up to the surface where it can be influenced by the planetary influences according to Biodynamic methods.
Over many of the fields we have yellow meadow ants nests. These are mounds of earth that are covered with grasses and herbs. They usually have a large rock as heat store in the middle. The ants are an important food for the Green woodpeckers.

Encouraging wildlife diversity helps keep the orchards free from pests

The Problem is the Solution
One problem we have in the forest garden is that there is an abundance of prunings from the soft fruit and fruit trees. This can be used as the fertility base for a Hugel bed and breaks down over the years to provide nutrients for the plants growing on top.
Another problem is the number of nettles. These can be used for many things. The fibres can be used to make string. The leaves can be put in water and as they rot down they produce a great fertility tea.


A more personal problem was fairly regular back ache. After many years I realised that I needed to stretch and warm up my muscles each morning. I do a simple Chinese 8 direction exercise each morning. This get all my muscles moving and stimulates all the meridians.. It takes about 10 minutes and enables me to work much harder during the day and all signs of back ache have gone.