It is not the amount of diversity in the system but the beneficial connections within it that are important. To the degree a permaculture designer can find and link those beneficial connections, the yield, resiliency and potential for permanence can increase.
Diversity can be increased to the degree that the value of niches are realized and used. Recognize your micro climate niches, and put plants into the niches they will appreciate or even thrive in. You can also create niches when you plant things - recognize when you are doing that and design accordingly.
(Tropical garden shots - oxalis, lilies, ginger) In this food forest, we’ve found that these beautiful oxalis, or wood sorrel, will grow in pretty deep shade and continue to hold their own. We’ve found that lilies and gingers fill in nicely.
We’ve allowed wild yams to climb the camphor trees here. And we’ve filled a usually difficult spot, near the trunk of this tree, with pineapple plants. They’re young, we have yet to see how well they do, but the oldest fruit late last year and we’re watching to see what they put out this year.
We’ve put this surinam cherry tree here in a niche that gets more sunlight but still gets canopy protection from frost. And here we have a jaboticaba tree where I’m going to see it regularly, where I can build up extra water catchment around it, and where it has room to spread out.
So we have all these plants together in tight knit harmony and yet they have plenty of room to thrive.
Also, don’t forget people's diversity and niches. If we really seriously valued the diversity of skill sets, knowledge, experience, personalities, etc, we would enrich ourselves so very much!
Another way to look at an “invisible structure” niche is: what ecosystem (here we’re talking more about the human elements of it) do you thrive in? What characteristics exist in a human ecosystem that you feel great about being in?
Hands On Activity
Work out how beneficial connections between two very different elements in your system can make diversity more valuable.