"We have to learn to live with other species"

On May 20, the School of Biology of the University of Azuay held the event "Biodiversity and Human Well-being" in commemoration of World Biodiversity Day.

The event had the participation of seven national and international speakers, with the aim of positioning biodiversity as a central value for sustainability.

We spoke with the teacher Boris Tinoco to learn more about this event and this topic:

What is the interest of focusing on the relationship between biodiversity and human well-being?

As a species we depend on the biodiversity that exists on the planet, we are one more species that coexists with many others.

This pandemic has shown that we are one more element of the ecosystem and we have to learn to live with other species if we want to stay longer on the planet, that's where the idea comes from.

Virtuality has left students without motivation to go to classes or this type of event. Have you been able to notice any change in student motivation by promoting these spaces for dialogue?

Something interesting that comes from the restrictions is that you can invite lecturers who are outside Cuenca, this time Rodolfo Dirzo participated, who works at the University of Stanford-California.

Of course, on the other hand, there is that problem, the lack of presence of the students, which is important, but the good thing about this space is that it allows us to interact with people that we could not before. 

In addition, from the talks, have actions been proposed from the academy to conserve biodiversity?

That is a lot of what we do at the School of Biology, through a research program that is consolidated and strong in which our professors and students participate with their theses.

We have constantly evaluated how biodiversity is in the region, how to understand what species there are, where they are, what their importance is, in addition to generating plans that allow us to manage and conserve it, nationally and internationally, for example, from the international research with globally threatened species we can give recommendations on how to conserve these species, the creation of protected areas, reserves, among others, this information has been used by NGOs.

Sebastián Padrón, one of the speakers, mentioned the term bio-literacy in his talk. Could you explain much more about this term and the importance of having education in wilderness areas?

The term is precisely that idea of ​​educating ourselves more, of knowing the importance of the biodiversity with which we live. This was shown in the talk, and it was also said that we know very little about all the insects that we live with in cities and that we do not realize that they are there, that we hardly recognize them and that they have interesting and relevant functions that influence our well-being.

This term implies educating ourselves about biodiversity, should the initiative of this education be applied only in university studies?

There is a lot of work to do, because generally the research we do at school is super technical and stays at that scientific level.

It is relevant to try to disseminate the knowledge we produce to the population, both at a general level and in educational programs in schools and colleges, that is why it would be interesting to work with communicators and educators, because scientists are often not prepared to communicate what we do to the general public.

UDA Correspondent