# THE PRINCIPLE OF SYMBIOSIS
Symbiosis is the coexistence of different species to their mutual benefit.
It always leads to considerable savings in raw material, energy, and transport for all participating elements and thus to multiple benefits.
The more diversity there is in a system, the more possibilities exist for symbiosis.
Large uniform structures, central energy supplies, monocultures within industrial areas or in agriculture, pure dormitory towns etc. do not profit of the advantages of symbiotic relationships and thus without their stabilizing effects. They need more long range transport for supply and waste and thus are much more expensive and eventually bound to collapse than small scale mixed structures.
**Precondition:** diversity of system components, small scaled system structure.
**Mutual exploitation of differences through diversity, coupling and exchange.**