ecopoiesis

/iːkə(ʊ)pɔɪˈiːsɪs/

ecopoiesis means the artificial creation of a sustainable ecosystem on a lifeless planet. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 86 out of 100.

ecopoiesis is pronounced /iːkə(ʊ)pɔɪˈiːsɪs/.

Why “ecopoiesis” is a great word

ECOPOIESIS — [Noun] The artificial creation of a sustainable ecosystem on a previously lifeless planet or celestial body. Coined in 1990 by Robert Haynes, from the combining forms eco- (from Greek oikos, "house, dwelling, environment") and -poiesis (from Greek poiēsis, "making, production"). Unlike terraforming, which envisions a finished, Earth-like world for humanity, or ecosynthesis, which implies the assembly of an ecosystem from existing life, ecopoiesis is the foundational act of kindling life where there was none. It is the first hardy microbe dividing in the Martian regolith, the inaugural lichen exhaling a whisper of atmosphere on a sun-scoured rock, and the silent establishment of a pioneer nutrient loop under an alien sky. It is genesis not as a divine command, but as a careful, hopeful experiment left running in the eternal laboratory of deep time.

Etymology

Coined by Robert Haynes in 1990, from eco- + -poiesis.

noun

The artificial creation of a sustainable ecosystem on a lifeless planet.