Plants and animals feed on resources such as sunlight, water, minerals and organic matter. With these, they build and maintain their tissues, acting in the ecosystem they are part of. The same applies to humans.

Initiative networks also need nourishment to grow. For example: inspiration, expertise, money, good contacts.

What factors are needed to fuel the initiative? And which actors are involved?

To stay healthy, organisms need to protect themselves from threats such as predation, storms and desiccation. This is why animals build shelter. Cooperation often provides safety, as in many symbiotic relationships between species, or in herds, swarms or schools. Competition and degradation always lurk. Life is balancing between constructive (development, growth) and destructive (death and breakdown) forces. 

What factors create a safe space in which the initiative can develop? Which actors ensure this?

But also: what factors threaten that safe space? Which actors do?

Everything that lives reproduces itself, as it passes on DNA to the next generation for the perpetuation of the species, and thus that species' contribution to the larger system.

In initiative networks, reproduction is about the outcome. What movement continues if the initiative is successful?

What factors come into play in terms of what the initiative ultimately wants to contribute to? What or who are you doing it all for?

In a partnership, there is mutual benefit. Symbiosis is a win-win situation, where the gains do not have to be in the same area for both parties.

This is what vital networks strive for: division of labour and specialisation creating more opportunities.

What can you do?

Predation is one-sided taking from the perspective of the predator and one giving from the 'prey'. Predation in a system can exist by the grace of creating abundance, allowing a species to survive despite loss of individuals.

In a relationship between humans, the predator takes more than he gives back. Such a relationship is not sustainable for long.

What can you do?

Prey is the losing side of the relationship with a predator. Eat and be eaten. It is not the species that disappears, but rather some individuals or parts of individuals.

In human relationships, the prey is the 'losing' party, or the party that gives in. 

What can you do?

A parasite invades another living organism. In a parasitic relationship, the 'host' usually does not survive in the long run.

In networks, for example, 'free riders' are parasites: they abuse the efforts in the network without giving anything in return. But a cynic also parasitises: he spoils relationships.

What can you do?

A pest is a massive breakdown, and occurs in an ecosystem as a result of monoculture. It paves the way for a new balance with more diversity.

Massive attacks in human ecosystems come in all shapes and sizes: war, a cyber attack, corruption. A plague disrupts and affects the entire system. Plagues are too big to be fought by the 'WE' network alone. 

What can you do?

Co-creation requires partnership with vital space. The trust in that vital space requires ongoing maintenance.

• Guard the balance between give and take.
• Continue to invest in vital space.

The predator benefits at the expense of the prey. A predator-prey relationship exhausts. This blocks trust and the space to use everyone's qualities.

• Invest in awareness of interdependence.
• Intervene to balance give and take.

A prey has a weak position in the competition.

• Develop a position in a niche, where your own quality faces less competition from others.
• Connect with allies to be stronger together.

A parasite shows weaknesses in defences. They demolish what is not functioning properly.

• Repair gaps in the defence.
• Reflect on the causes of these weaknesses. What breakdown is going on?
• Finds a healthy response in a changing environment.

Plagues arise from imbalance and degradation on a large scale. You cannot reverse them. Degradation in nature makes room for something new. You can anticipate that.

• Seek shelter.
• Make sure you stay healthy yourself.
• Take good care of your WE network, and keep your spirits up.
• Seek reinforcement from allies.
• Invest in healthy networks.

Remember that something new always starts small.