‘The Ecotechnic Future’, in this book John Greer describes an ecological principle with regard to how species populate an area. For example after a forrest fire or the clearing of a brown field site the first plants to move in are so called R-species. Many weeds are R-species. These populate an area very rapidly and grow fast using up all the resources and nutrients available to them. This for them is a successful but short term strategy for they deplete the environment that supports them. After them move in another type of plant which ecologists call K-species. These have a longer and more sustainable strategy and are much more efficient in the use of resources such as light and soil. K-species grow slower but in doing so are much more resilient. The K-species gradually replace the R-species. Greer goes on to say that humans have the choice of adopting an R or a K strategy.
It is clear we are at a time where we humans need to transition from one strategy to the other
