By: Neerja Caprihan
The magic of diversity is everywhere. It lights up the solar system, colors nature, sustains the world of food, fashion and photography, ties up music, dance, arts and literature across the globe, and strengthens human relationships. As any nutritionist will tell you, a balanced meal is the one that is unmistakably diverse in what it offers to the human body. A popular media channel knows how to retain its readership by sourcing a variety of information. A team is made better by the variously skilled members that make it up. A wholesome artistic presentation makes use of all the devices available to its director to evoke the best experience in a discerning viewer.
In a dominantly consumerist world, it is easy to forget the fragile dependence of human life on nature and its bountiful offerings. At the heart of all food chains lies the basic premise of bio-diversity. That makes biodiversity a necessity, and not a luxury. That’s where celebrations like the International Day for Biological Diversity 1 serve as reminders. Consider this, almost all scientific and medical research as well as practices owe their origins to the vast pools of possibilities that exist out there. Where bio-diversity on land sustains terrains and in turn, communities, the same in oceans nurtures the waterbodies and their mysterious inhabitants. The climatic health of our planet, the resilience of its resources and therefore the wellbeing of all its occupants flows naturally from there. In fact, the first stop in the journey to promote bio-diversity will be a more basic one – that of protecting the planet’s biological and other resources. And that is why Socially Responsible portfolios form a fairly substantial proportion of our offerings.
Only a healthy planet can, in turn, nurture a diverse and symbiotic environment. The WHO lists 2 a key benefit of bio-diversity as below:
Biodiversity supports key ecosystem services like soil fertility, natural pest control, pollination and water regulation. Preserving biodiversity in agricultural landscapes promotes sustainable food systems capable of producing nutritious food with minimal environmental impact.
One remembers ideas, events, things, places, and people when they are different, not when everything is similar. No matter how much the Barbie movie was loved (or hated), all the pink did feel a tad too much by the time the credits rolled and one began to appreciate why headlines, like the world running out of pink paint, were making news. Diversity is as much a part of this planet, its makeup and its overall fabric as a family is to a home. And what’s a family without each member being different to another in ways, big and small.
A world of only similarities would be frightfully one-sided, insipid and monotonous. More importantly, it will be counter-productive to a progressive future.
Diversity is therefore vital. Be it in nature, humans or investment portfolios. And therein lies a key value that our Asset Allocation portfolios bring to the table. Taking the cue from nature, this is an offering in which asset classes are combined together intelligently so as to provide income, growth, and stability during different economic conditions. Read more here and see for yourself.
PHOTO CREDIT: https://www.shutterstock.com/g/KENGMERRYMIKEYMELODY
VIA SHUTTERSTOCK
FOOTNOTES AND SOURCES:
1 https://www.un.org/en/observances/biological-diversity-day
2 https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/biodiversity
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