The UNO Analogy -- Biodiversity as a Hedge Against Change

Here is Chris Meyer introducing Indonesian students to the game of UNO. But why?

UNO as an analogy for how biodiversity is hedge against change

 

Well, which of these two hands would you prefer to have? 

If you've played the game, you know that the bottom hand is better. It's more diverse. In this game, conditions change rapidly, but one never knows exactly how things will change, so holding a diverse hand is preferable.

So too in a world where environments are changing (mostly due to human activities), it is preferable to have more biodiversity. Of course, this is just a simple introduction to ecosystem resilience, but the analogy seemed to get through to the students, especially after playing a few hands for themselves.

Enjoying a game of UNO in Bali, Indonesia

by Allen G. Collins