The lecturer asked “Why should we keep bio-diversity?” – and it got me thinking about this great article on complex adaptive systems and their properties. On the page you will find this picture and text:
“The agents in the system are all the components of that system. For example the air and water molecules in a weather system, and flora and fauna in an ecosystem. These agents interact and connect with each other in unpredictable and unplanned ways. But from this mass of interactions regularities emerge and start to form a pattern which feeds back on the system and informs the interactions of the agents. For example in an ecosystem if a virus starts to deplete one species this results in a greater or lesser food supply for others in the system which affects their behaviour and their numbers. A period of flux occurs in all the populations in the system until a new balance is established.”
So from a systemic perspective we could say that one reason to keep bio-diversity is to avoid flux/chaos that could be a threat to the level of equilibrium that’s present in the system at large that contains us. In my mind this [flux/chaos] in itself could be a really good thing though, as it frees a lot of response potential that could lead to the transformation of the system into something more sustainable and adaptable. Although I would definitely NOT target bio-diversity or fundamental eco-systems with any intentional perturbations. Better places would probably be man-made, constructed systems for which there are better designs waiting to be implemented. Any suggestions?
Anyway, do yourself and the world a favor, READ THE ARTICLE and start thinking systemically.
Tellus Tribe 
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