A Human and a Natural Ecosystem

By Anonymous

Even thought a natural ecosystem’s history outdistances a human, they have strong correlation. In the epilogue to “From the Web of Life” by Fritjof Capra, an Austrian-born American physicist, systems theorist, he quotes “a conceptual framework for the link between ecological communities and human communities. Both are living systems that exhibit the same basic principles of organization” (82). There are many similarities between two complete different systems, such as interdependence, elimination and diversity.

Interdependence exists in the natural ecosystem and the human community. Capra points out that: All members of an ecological community are interconnected in a vast and intricate network of relationships… They derive their essential properties and, in fact, their very existence from their relationships to other things, Interdependent-the mutual dependence of all life processes on one another-is the nature of all ecological relationships (82). For example, plants and animals must coexist to survive. They depend upon each other because each provides something for the other. Trees give shade which animals can live, also leaves and fruit are food for them. Animals spread seeds and help to pollinate for the trees. In the same way as a human society, people and firms depend on the government because they need it provides a stable and flourishing social environment for business and living. In like manner, the government relies on those people and companies since they pay taxes which are source of fund. Whether which system, each member of the community plays an important role and it is interdependence.

“Survival of the fittest” is appropriate for the natural ecosystem and the human community. For example, in the natural ecosystem, some cheetahs can run faster than others and they therefore more easily catch their prey. In the same way, those prey are caught by the cheetah, they always are old or weak. Similarly, the human community is full of competition. From kindergarten to college, we pass different exams to get a seat expand. Also, we have to defeat our opponents to get a job. Frankly speaking, those top positions belong to final winners. Likewise, companies and companies, schools and schools, cities and cities, even countries and countries, they have various competitions. Only those who lack competitiveness are to be eliminated from the contest. In a like manner, Capra reminds us These considerations lead to the important realization that managing a social system-a company, a city, or an economy-mean finding the optimal values for the system’s variables. If one tries to maximize any single variable instead of optimizing it, this will invariable lead to the destruction of the system as a whole (85). Survival of the fittest does influence humans’ and animals’ way of life.

Diversity plays the same role in the human and the natural system. Diversity helps the economy by providing many different relationships to solve the same problem. There are air, water, lands, plants and animals to combine the natural system. They are interdependent and to keep the whole ecosystem going. In the same way, we have various nations, races, and cultures in a social system. Especially we tend to a global economy today; human beings must respect one other, in all their diversity of belief, culture and language. As a result, Capra states “A diverse community is a resilient community, capable of adapting to changing situations” (86).

Human societies derive many essential goods from natural ecosystems, including seafood, game animals, and timber. These goods represent important and familiar parts of the economy. People have important relationship with the natural ecosystems because we have the same basic principles,include interdependence, elimination and diversity. As a result, we should learn how to become ecologically literate-“…means understanding the principles of organization of ecological communities (ecosystems) and using those principles for creating sustainable human communities” (81).


Works Cited
Capra, Fritjof. “Ecological Literacy.” Saving Place Ed.
Sidney I. Dobrin. Boston: McGraw Hill 2005, 81-86.