Nature as Partner

To give credit to nature is a breath of relief. It is not all on us to save the world, but it is on us to make space for the world to help save itself. Plants, animals, fungi, and bacteria are also working to shape the land around us, and if we can make space for them and their needs they can be our greatest allies in restoring balance to the natural world.

Ecological Redundancy

In scientific ecological literature, diversity and resiliency are generally accepted to be positively correlated. Ecological redundancy (that is, multiple species filling a similar role within the food web) is a way to think tactically about this relationship. Ecological redundancy provides a cushioning effect for the overall energy flow of the ecosystem; with adequate redundancy in a community, there should be very few lynchpin species upon which the whole system depends. In other words, if a certain species were to struggle, decline, or be removed from the community, another species (or several) would be there to “pick up the slack” by making use of the now unspoken-for resources and continuing to cycle that energy through the ecosystem. Ecological redundancy is a critical part of stability, and it's something we can help to create.

The Space Between Life

Living organisms need space to move into. A suitable space for them to exist within is just as important as their being present at all. Yet every material organism on earth not only needs space, but it defines it as well. By existing in space, matter creates structure, and structure defines space: it creates qualities. Qualities are differentiators.

Not all species seek the same qualities in the spaces they occupy. By having multitudes of species with different forms and structures, habitat is generated with varied qualities, which invites new species to join the fray. Biodiversity begets biodiversity.