What does "Multi - Species" thinking do differently?

What does "Multi - Species" thinking offer?

We fundamentally misunderstand the human if we see it as a singular, unified agent; rather, what "we" are as a species are utterly entangled in copious folds of nonhumans, without which we would not exist.

Recognizing the agency of nonhuman others: Other species possess their own behavioral strategies, preferences and ecological roles. Acknowledging their agency means valuing how their decisions and life histories shape ecosystems and affect co-inhabitants.

Challenging anthropocentrism: Traditional perspectives often center human needs and values. Multispecies thinking critiques this bias, calling for an ethical framework that respects the intrinsic worth of all organisms from microbes to megafauna.

Cultivating arts of attentiveness: Scientific observation and creative practices such as ethology, bioacoustics and storytelling can deepen our sensitivity to nonhuman experiences and foster empathetic and informed responses to species behaviors and needs. Lives are woven through mutual influences, predation, symbiosis, competition and cooperation. By viewing these interactions as dynamic networks, we better understand how species co-construct environments over evolutionary and ecological timescales.

Exploring more-than-human geographies: Landscapes are shaped not only by human infrastructure but also by living systems such as animal migrations, plant dispersal and microbial processes. Recognizing these forces reveals places as shared territories with intertwined human and nonhuman histories.

Extinction Studies: Stories of Time, Death and Generations: Biodiversity loss disrupts ecological functions such as pollination, seed dispersal and nutrient cycling and severs the cultural ties many communities hold with particular species. Understanding these repercussions underscores the necessity to foster care and sensitivity for our living systems. Multispecies ethics urges reflection on our impacts, promoting stewardship that balances human well-being with the flourishing of nonhuman communities.

Becoming - with: Is an invitation to cultivate attentiveness in all interactions. By practicing “becoming‑with,” we learn to perceive each species’ unique ethos, its way of living, through sustained observation and dialogue between the arts, humanities and sciences. In this approach, attentiveness becomes an ethical practice: we respond to nonhuman others in the fullness of their lives, co‑learning how to live well together in the Anthropocene and opening pathways for richer multispecies futures. Integrating multidisciplinary insights from ecology, anthropology, philosophy, Indigenous knowledge systems and the arts enriches our grasp of multispecies interdependencies, ensuring that multiple ways of knowing inform research and policy.

Embracing perpetual flux: Informed by becoming-with, multispecies thinking resists fixed boundaries and static definitions. It understands that identities, relationships and environments are always in motion, inviting us to remain open to new configurations and unexpected encounters.