Detailed Record



Response diversity as a sustainability strategy


Abstract Financial advisers recommend a diverse portfolio to respond to market fluctuations across sectors. Similarly, nature has evolved a diverse portfolio of species to maintain ecosystem function amid environmental fluctuations. In urban planning, public health, transport and communications, food production, and other domains, however, this feature often seems ignored. As we enter an era of unprecedented turbulence at the planetary level, we argue that ample responses to this new reality — that is, response diversity — can no longer be taken for granted and must be actively designed and managed. We describe here what response diversity is, how it is expressed and how it can be enhanced and lost. A varied repertoire of responses helps manage fluctuations, as in markets. This Perspective argues that society needs to strengthen the diversity of options for responding to disruptions, exploring how this response diversity is expressed, how it can be built and lost, and what we can do to promote it.
Authors Brian Walker ORCID , Anne‐Sophie Crépin ORCID , Magnus Nyström ORCID , John M. Anderies ORCID , Erik Andersson ORCID , Thomas Elmqvist ORCID , Cibele Queiroz ORCID , Scott Barrett ORCID , Elena M. Bennett ORCID , Juan Camilo Cárdenas ORCID , Stephen R. Carpenter ORCID , F. Stuart Chapin ORCID , Aart de Zeeuw ORCID , Joern Fischer ORCID , Carl Folke ORCID , Simon A. Levin ORCID , Karine Nyborg ORCID , Stephen Polasky ORCID , Kathleen Segerson ORCID , Karen C. Seto ORCID , Marten Scheffer ORCID , Jason F. Shogren University of WyomingORCID , Alessandro Tavoni ORCID , Jeroen van den Bergh , Elke U. Weber ORCID , Jeffrey R. Vincent ORCID
Journal Info Nature Portfolio | Nature Sustainability , vol: 6 , iss: 6 , pages: 621 - 629
Publication Date 1/30/2023
ISSN 2398-9629
TypeKeyword Image article
Open Access bronze Bronze Access
DOI https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-022-01048-7
KeywordsKeyword Image Ecosystem Resilience (Score: 0.531472) , Sustainability (Score: 0.506024)