06 May DOCUMENTARIES ON POLLINATION HELP TO UNDERSTAND THE VITAL IMPORTANCE OF THIS PROCESS:

As ecologists we know that pollination is not just a fascinating process to study but also an essential function for the maintenance of ecosystems. Without animal pollinators more than 78% of flowering plants in our planet would not be able to reproduce. The simple truth is that in a dystopian future where Angiosperms did not exist, human societies and all of Earth’s terrestrial ecosystems would not survive. The transcendental importance of pollination is clear for us, but how obvious is this to the general public? With so much at stake, it is critical we teach people about this important process and why we need to generate knowledge that contributes to a better understanding of plant-pollinator interactions.

In Costa Rica, thanks to the joint effort of the Universidad Estatal a Distancia, members of the EPHI team and local collaborators in the project area, it was possible to conclude the production of two documentaries on pollination. The first documentary, beautifully narrated, tells us about this process, the reason why is so important for the life cycle, which are the main animal pollinators and why many of them are currently threatened. The second documentary is about the work we are doing in EPHI as an international project and more specifically how we implement the field methods. We explain step by step the various techniques used for recording plant-hummingbird interactions to better understand the fundamental role that these interactions play in structuring ecological communities in the Neotropics.

Now, we have this educational material intended for students, for our collaborators and simply for everyone who appreciates nature and cares about biodiversity loss. Educating people about the importance of pollination in ecosystems through our project is vital to raise public awareness about environmental concerns. We are happy to contribute to this important and challenging task.

Watch the documentaries: