7^thInternational Conference on Biodiversity Conservation and Ecosystem Management July 26-27,2018 Melbourne ,Australia

Biography:

Abdeen Mustafa Omer (BSc, MSc, PhD) is an Associate Researcher at Energy Research Institute (ERI). He obtained both his PhD degree in the Built Environment and Master of Philosophy degree in Renewable Energy Technologies from the University of Nottingham. He is qualified Mechanical Engineer with a proven track record within the water industry and renewable energy technologies. He has been graduated from University of El Menoufia, Egypt, BSc in Mechanical Engineering. His previous experience involved being a member of the research team at the National Council for Research/Energy Research Institute in Sudan and working director of research and development for National Water Equipment Manufacturing Co. Ltd., Sudan. He has been listed in the book WHO’S WHO in the World 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2010. He has published over 300 papers in peer-reviewed journals, 200 review articles, 7 books and 150 chapters in books.

Abstract:

The demand for energy continued to outstrip supply and necessitated the development of biomass option. Residues were the most popular forms of renewable energy and currently biofuel production became much promising. Agricultural wastes contained high moisture content and could be decomposed easily by microbes. Agricultural wastes were abundantly available globally and could be converted to energy and useful chemicals by a number of microorganisms. Compost or bio-fertiliser could be produced with the inoculation of appropriated thermophilic microbes which increased the decomposition rate, shortened the maturity period and improved the compost (or bio-fertiliser) quality. The objective of the present research was to promote the biomass technology and involved adaptive research, demonstration and dissemination of results. With a view to fulfill the objective, a massive field survey was conducted to assess the availability of raw materials as well as the present situation of biomass technologies. In the present communication, an attempt had also been made to present an overview of present and future use of biomass as an industrial feedstock for production of fuels, chemicals and other materials. We may conclude from the review paper that biomass technology must be encouraged, promoted, invested, implemented, and demonstrated, not only in urban areas but also in remote rural areas. The move towards a low-carbon world, driven partly by climate science and partly by the business opportunities it offers, will need the promotion of environmentally friendly alternatives, if an acceptable stabilisation level of atmospheric carbon dioxide is to be achieved. The biomass energy, one of the important options, which might gradually replace the oil in facing the increased demand for oil and may be an advanced period in this century. Any county can depend on the biomass energy to satisfy part of local consumption. Development of biogas technology is a vital component of alternative rural energy programme, whose potential is yet to be exploited. A concerted effect is required by all if this is to be realised. The technology will find ready use in domestic, farming, and small-scale industrial applications. Support biomass research and exchange experiences with countries that are advanced in this field. In the meantime, the biomass energy can help to save exhausting the oil wealth. 

Biography:

Xiaoli Wang is dedicated to assessing and predicting climate change as well as risk management of meteorological disasters, especially focusing on such a region with high climate vulnerability in the coastal area of China. She has used a set of mathematical and statistical methods and models to conduct a thorough research on extreme temperature events and extreme precipitation events in the coastal area of China. Her expert research provides a reference for understanding of regional climate change in-depth and a technical support for mitigation and adaptation of climate change.

Abstract:

Coastal area of China (CAC) is of high ecological vulnerability and extremely sensitive to the adverse effects of climate change. Based on the daily precipitation dataset of 156 surface meteorological station records, Consecutive Dry Days (CDD) and Consecutive Wet Days (CWD) on meteorological station scale in the CAC were calculated by RClimDex model. And a set of statistical methods, including trend analysis, Pettitt test, Mann-Kendall test and Accumulative anomaly analysis were employed to investigate the dynamics of CDD and CWD in the CAC. Results showed that annual average of CDD and CWD presented the opposite spatial patterns of north-high south-low and north-low south-high, respectively, and annual average of CDD is generally more than that of CWD, especially in the Hebei province and western of Liaoning province. The continuous dry situation is most prominent in Shandong, Guangdong and Guangxi, and the consecutive wet condition is more obvious on the border of Jiangsu and Zhejiang, especially in the Yangtze estuary. However, the dry-wet conditions are more uncertain in Liaoning, Hebei and Jiangsu, where the dry and humid climate change is more complicated. The mutation of CDD and CWD mainly occurred between 1970s and 1990s, and the mutations in CDD were slightly earlier that those in CWD. This study are beneficial to raise awareness of extreme climate change in the coastal area of China, and provide scientific basis and support for climate change mitigation and adaptation as well as climate change risk management at the regional scale, which is an important supplement to the study of regional responses to global climate change.

Biography:

Dong Li has his expertise in acoustic data processing and submarine sediment classification. He is familiar with basic knowledge and principle of acoustic seabed detection, skillful in operating multibeam equipment and post-processing software, and able to explore data mining to solve some scientific issues. He devised a technical approach to characterize, classify, and map shallow coastal areas with artificial reefs using an multibeam echosounder. The automated classification method is confirmed to process bathymetric and backscatter data from multibeam echosounder and transform the variables into simple, easily visualized maps.

Abstract:

Tracing the evolution of subaqueous topography in coastal water enables us to understand the effects of intensive coastal development on bays and estuaries. Analysis of a series of historical bathymetric acoustic surveys has revealed large changes in morphology from 1960s to 2010s in Longkou Bay, China. Water depths were extracted from digitized admiralty charts to explore the accretion-erosion characteristics in a Geographical Information System (GIS) environment, providing quantitative estimates of morphological changes. Multibeam echosounders (MBES) were used to map and analyze the geomorphologic features caused by the construction of artificial islands. Results illustrated that the shoreline and bathymetry of Longkou Bay changed dramatically in recent decades. The subaqueous area decreased by about 15%, while land area increased by more than 13 km2 in the study area during the last 50 years. From 1960s to 1990s, the evolution of Longkou Bay was mainly governed by natural processes with a patchy distribution of deposition and erosion, and there were few signs of being related to large-scale human activities. During the period of 1990s to 2010s, intensive coastal developments including large port engineering projects, channel dredging and artificial islands construction became the main processes affecting morphological changes in the Longkou Bay. The high-resolution bathymetric results near the artificial island showed that the seafloor was dredged at many sites, leaving large areas of borrow pits. The sudden change of the underwater topography will lead to the destruction of local benthic habitat and effective measures need to be taken to protect and remediate heavily disturbed subaqueous environment.

Biography:

University 1998 with specilization of  Plant Reproductive Biology. She  has published more than 80  papers in reputed journals, Chapters in books and presented her  research in national and international meetings. She has succesfully obtained research grants from funding agencies such as DBT, DST and KSCSTE. She currently supervises Eight Doctorate candidates and produced Five Ph.Ds.

Abstract:

Humboldtia decurrens Bedd. ex Oliver belongs to the family Fabaceae, is restricted to the evergreen forests of Kerala and Tamilnadu in the southern Western Ghats. The plant favours much shady, riparian and undisturbed environment at an altitude of 200-900m asl with severely fragmented population. The study on reproductive ecology was conducted in the natural habitat to understand its phenology, floral biology, pollination mechanism, fruit set and seed germination. The phenological study reveals that leaf flushing takes place from August to October, flower bud initiation commences in November and flowering period extends up to March. The plant possess cauliflorous, racemose inflorescence with 12-15 flowers and varied sepal colouration from white to pink, but petal remains white. Pollen grains are spherical and 52.25µm in diameter. Pollen-Ovule ratio was calculated as 1062:1. Maximum pollen viability was noticed on the day of anthesis itself which get decreased on consecutive days after anthesis. The species imparts various pollination traits including flower shape, colour, reward type and amount, nectar composition and timing of flowering. Occurrence of versatile anthers illustrate a proof for anemophilous pollination but species display a more support towards melittophily by rewarding subsequent amount of floral as well as extra floral nectaries. Bees and butterflies are the major pollinators. Breeding experiments confirmed that the species permits both geitonogamy and xenogamy. The fruitification will take about a month after the drooping of flowers and continues till the next vegetative phase. The scarcity of pollinators, low insect visitation rates and infestation of fruits by insects affect the fruit production and thereby decreases the seed set. Natural factors along with anthropogenic activities adversely affect its population growth and its establishment in the wild.

Biography:

Xiaowei Li graduated with a BSc from the Ocean University of China in 2005, and then served as a visiting doctoral researcher in Land and Water at CSIRO (Australia) 2008-2009, receiving her PhD from IGSNRR in 2012. Dr. Li was a postdoctoral researcher at IGSNRR 2012-2014. Her areas of specialization include ecosystem-based management and adaptation and ecosystem monitoring and assessment. More recently, Dr. Li has been interested in assessment and valuation of coastal ecosystem services, recognizing the trade-offs between migratory bird protection, human well-being and social-economic development. She brings her experience with spatial valuation of coastal wetlands to the study of coastal mudflats and migratory bird habitat in particular.

Abstract:

The population of shorebirds in the East Asian-Australasian Flyway (EAAF) is on a severe, long-term decline. One of the reasons is low survival during stopover sites in Yellow Sea Ecoregion due to habitat degradation. In this paper, we focused on the shorebird habitat quality in Yellow River Delta (YRD), which is a representative shorebirds stopover site in the Yellow Sea Ecoregion on EAAF. We adapt the habitat quality model of the InVEST for the assessment of shorebirds habitat quality change in YRD during 2000-2015 and future, considering the effects of anthropogenic threats on shorebirds habitat. In our results, the abundance of 11 species of shorebirds had significant downward trends (70%-97% reduction) during 1999-2015. The most prominent land use changes in the YRD during 2000–2015 are the shrinkage of estuarine delta and dense-grass, along with the expansion of city, saltern, and mariculture. The area of estuarine delta, unused land, tidal flats, and sparse grass reduced 30214, 21792, 6510, 6166 ha, respectively during the 15 years. There was high spatial heterogeneity in modeled habitat quality in the YRD. Tidal flats areas in the nature reserve (part 2) had higher habitat quality than areas in the northwestern (part 1), and eastern (part 4) parts of the study area, where the major mariculture occurs. Mean habitat quality in the part 1and part 4 were 26% and 44% lower than mean habitat quality in part 2, respectively. The mean habitat quality in part 1 and part 4 decreased 27% and 31% during 2000–2015, respectively. Optimal habitat in YRD declined from 1433km2 in 2000 to 1154 km2 in 2015. The habitat quality shows a significant downward trend in the southeast and northeast of YRD during 2015-2020. The results would help decision makers avoid inefficiencies in land use management.

Biography:

Dr. Muhammad Shoaib Amjad is currently working as lecture in Department of Botany, Women University of Azad Jammu & Kashmir Bagh. He is awarded with Goldmedal in MSc as well as M Phil. He Published more than 30 Research articles on various aspect of Phytodiveristy, ethnobotany and conservation in various Journal of International repute. Currently his research mainly focuses on phytogeographic, systematic and conservation assessment of endemic flora of remote biodiversity rich area of Azad Jammu & Kashmir using advance multivariate statistical techniques.

Abstract:

A phytosociological survey was carried out during 2014-2016 using a stratified random sampling design at 15 different localities in Kotli District, AJK Pakistan. Quantitative data on species composition and environmental variables were collected from 450 quadrats. Based on cluster analysis, three different plant associations were recognized viz subtropical scrub forest association, subtropical pine forest association and subtropical broad leaf humid association which are clearly separated on a two dimensional Detrended Correspondence Analysis (DCA) diagram.  The number of plant species per site varied from 17 to 47; Shannon and Simpson diversity indices were 1.83-3.19 and 0.75-0.95 respectively; Menhinick  and Margalef species richness values were between 0.68-1.35 and 2.48-5.95 respectively, Equitability values between 0.65-0.90 and Evenness values between 0.37-0.71. DCA and Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA) indicated altitude and aspect to be the main determinants of the plant species distribution patterns and classification and grouping of vegetation into different associations. CCA indicated that both species diversity and richness showed strong correlations with altitude as well as aspect and grazing intensity. All the forest stands were immature (33.8-54.7%) with average tree density varying between 280 to 2060 ha-1, and basal area between 1.99-19.18 m2/ha-1.  The results clearly reflect the deteriorating forest structure in this region, demanding urgent conservation measures involving effective participation by local communities.

Biography:

Dr Avinash Kumar, Assistant Professor in the Department of Botany, Vinoba Bhave University, Jharkhand, India is actively engaged in Teaching and Research. During his Ph.D., he has worked extensively on the assessment of genetic diversity of endangered medicinal plant species growing in the extremes of Himalayan regions of India, as well as the genetic diversity study of few endemic tree species. Based on his finding and subsequent recommendations, few germplasm of Picrorhiza kurroa, Valeriana jatamansi, Gentiana kurroo have been taken for ex situ conservation and cultivation. Presently he is guiding students for their Ph.D on diverse topics such as- Identification of Quantitative Trait Loci (QTLs) associated with drought tolerance in upland local rice (Oryza sativa L.) varieties, Assessment of diversity of Diospyros melanoxylon, Floristic survey of different areas of India.

Abstract:

Picrorhiza kurroa (family Scrophulariaceae) is a well-known medicinal herb in the Ayurvedic system of medicine used for centuries to treat disorders of the liver and upper respiratory tract, jaundice, fever, dyspepsia, chronic diarrohea and scorpion sting. Commonly known as kutki, it grows in moist areas of Himalayan regions of India at elevations of 3000 - 5000 m. Due to intensive harvesting from its natural habitat, it is now classified as an endangered species. In order to meet the ever increasing demand of the species, it is essential to genetically improve the species for not only meeting obvious goals for conservation and improvement but it is important also to bring it to the status where it can be cultivated in larger areas other than the condition where it is at presently growing in wild. To obtain the desired objectives as above, the first requisite beyond doubt is to compartmentalize the nature, extent and form of variations at DNA sequence level of the germplasm, and levels of gene flow between populations, of this over exploited plant species.

            In the present study, we employed RAPD, ISSR and AFLP markers to determine the nature and extent of genetic diversity of P. kurroa germplasm resources of representative 91 genotypes belonging to 10 populations, collected from different parts of the Himalayas. The RAPD, ISSR and AFLP fingerprints with 22 and 15 primers and 07 primer combinations, respectively, revealed 83.5%, 80.6%, and 72.1% polymorphism among 140, 88, and 327 genetic loci amplified from the 91 genotypes, respectively. The AMOVA analysis indicated more variation existed in differences in genotypes within population than between population within a region and between regions, respectively. The results obtained are very interesting and informative with regard to not only genetic diversity diagnostics but also from the point of view of utilization for its genetic enhancement as above.

Biography:

Author is an Associate Professor from The Department of Botany, Carmel College, Goa (India). Has a Doctorate Degree in Plant Anatomy & a Post Graduate Diploma in Ecology and Environment. Passionate about Biodiversity concerns. Presently documenting Plant diversity in cultural practices of a specific indigenous community of Indian Peninsula.

Abstract:

The Brahmin community in Kerala has a ritualistic culture and each & every customary ritual is eco-friendly and largely makes use of the local plant biodiversity. Written documentations in this regard are very rare and if at all recorded are ancient and thereby inaccessible to the common man due to linguistic barriers. In the backdrop of this scenario, the author who herself is  a member of this community felt the necessity for a scientific documentation, largely because the traditions followed by the community ingrained within it the  ancient wisdom of living in unison with nature. The book written in Malayalam language by Late Smt. Parvathy Antherjanam- ‘Antherjanangalude aacharanushtanangal’  (‘Customary rituals & religious rites observed by women of Brahmin community’, 2002)- the only one of its kind and discussions with the elders in the community have formed the basis of this research.

The research paper  brings forth some expressions of Traditional Agro- biodiversity in connection with a religious festival celebrated in the state called -  ‘Thiruvathira’.‘Ettangadi’ is a customary edible preparation made during the festival which makes use of six types of tubers and a few other agricultural products. The ‘Ethno Agro diversity’in ‘Ettangadi’ preparation is discussed and the eight species are scientifically documented. A review on the food value and nutritional & therapeutic aspects of the plants are also recorded in the study. Documenting, tapping such indigenous knowledge go a long way not only in opening new vistas in food security but also in conserving biodiversity of a region.

Biography:

Kalai Arasi Arumugam is a Master in Science graduate in Wildlife Ecology and Management. Her great passion towards animals had aspired her to work towards conserving wildlife and understanding their needs and welfare through behavioral study. Her current research focused on the behavior of endangered Malayan tapir and their ex-situ management in captivity. In the future, she is looking forward to studying more wildlife in both captive and wild via ex-situ and in-situ conservation. 

Abstract:

Changes in the living environment such as restricted space, continuous stream of visitors and being under the management of humans have been shown in many other wild animals to cause significant changes in their natural behaviours that can result in stress, breeding difficulties, poor health, and repetitive stereotypic behaviours. However, it is still unknown whether the above factors can also affect the Malayan tapir (Tapirus indicus). Therefore, we undertook a study to investigate the potential stressors in both male and female captive Malayan tapirs by evaluating the effect of enclosure type, enclosure size, climatic and human factors on behaviours that were quantified through direct and indirect observations. Analysing our data using Generalised linear mixed-effects model, glmer, we found that enclosure type had a significant effect on feeding behaviour where tapirs in semi-wild enclosures fed more frequently than tapirs in captivity. We noticed significant adverse effects from visitors and background noises that caused increases in vigilance behaviour and reduced the time spent on resting in captivity. We also observed stereotypic behaviours in captivity such as frequent pacing and sleeping under water while holding their breath for over one minute at a time. From this study, we conclude that the enclosure with improper enrichments and surroundings with loud sound exposure are potential stressors that will affect the welfare of Malayan tapir.

Biography:

Michal Kuchár has a BSc in Biology and MSc in Plant Physiology from the Charles University in Prague in Czech Republic. His PhD at the Bio-Protection Research centre is aligned to the Next-Generation Biopesticides programme, and is focusing on fungal endophytes in Brassica species and their potential use as bioprotection agents. Michal is isolating fungal endophytes from plants under different environmental and agricultural growth conditions, and assessing the factors that shape composition of fungal endophytic communities using next-generation sequencing techniques.

Abstract:

Statement of the problem : Agricultural crops such as cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. capitata) are vulnerable to a plethora of pests and diseases.

Endophytic fungi are increasingly used in biological control against these pests and diseases as agricultural producers attempt to reduce their environmental footprint.

Methodology & Theoretical Orientation: In this study, putative endophytic fungi were isolated from cabbage grown in 3 regions in New Zealand in order to identify isolates with potential to assist crop production. Selected fungal isolates were tested in bioassays to determine their potential for biological control of a fungal disease caused by Sclerotinia sclerotiorum and an insect pest of cabbage - Diamondback moth (Plutella xylostella).

In addition to isolation from plants, patterns in fungal communities were also described using metabarcoding data acquired by high-throughput sequencing and compared with data on direct isolation through culturing.

Findings: Over 100 species were identified using culturing approaches, while metabarcoding approaches suggest the number of fungal species associated with cabbage tissues could be over 200. Fungal communities differ in above- and belowground parts of cabbage. There does not seem to be a significant difference between fungal communities in different regions of New Zealand.

Increased mortality of Diamondback moth larvae feeding on cabbage leaves treated with spore suspensions of several isolates of Lecanicillium sp. was observed. None of the tested isolates used as seed inoculants significantly reduced disease symptoms caused by Sclerotinia sclerotiorum in a bioassay on cabbage seedlings.

Conclusion & Significance:

In this study several isolates were identified as promising biological control agents of an insect pest of cabbage. However, these isolates are members of a large consortium of fungi. The uncovered patterns in the fungal communities underline the importance of understanding of the microbial communities associated with agricultural crop for us to improve it.

Biography:

Amrit is a Commonwealth Scholar from the UK in the final year of her PhD. Her work focusses on social-ecological trade-offs in mangrove conservation in New Zealand. She has previously worked in tropical mangroves for her Masters research and has co-authored a book chapter on tropical mangrove ecosystem services and an article on blue carbon between salt marshes, mangroves and seagrasses. She won an Emerging Scholar Award in Jan 2018 for the On Sustainability Conference in Cairns. Her review paper on mangrove ecosystem service studies is currently in review for publication.

Abstract:

Statement of the Problem: The accelerated seaward growth of the mangrove Avicennia marina subsp. australasica over the last century has altered the ecology of estuarine and coastal ecosystems throughout North Island, New Zealand (Morrisey et al. 2007). Expansion has created a myriad of real and perceived social-ecological issues regarding the future of the local communities who live in these areas and potential impacts to New Zealand biodiversity. As a result, there have been many applications submitted to regional councils for their removal (Green et al. 2003; Harty, 2009). However, the social-ecological issues and related impacts are not yet well understood and there are significant knowledge gaps. Further research is necessary for making informed and evidence-based decision-making around the removal and preservation of these mangrove systems. Whilst there has been a strong effort to quantify benthic community compositional change following mangrove establishment and subsequent removal (Alfaro, 2010; Lundquist et al. 2012), there is a lack of long-term monitoring of other groups of organisms, particularly terrestrial vertebrate and invertebrate species. Findings: This research presents the findings of integrated biodiversity surveys collected at four sites in mangroves of Manukau Harbour (March-Apr 2018). A range of different non-invasive techniques were employed to record presence/absence data of reptiles, mammals, fish and birds utilising mangroves. Insects and spiders were captured and preserved for identification and future research. These integrated assessments are the first of their kind in New Zealand mangroves and will provide valuable insights into species present and differences between and within sites. It will also provide information regarding ecosystem function and health of degraded and fragmented mangroves. The results of these assessments have the potential to be implemented in policy for mangrove biodiversity monitoring which may be applied across New Zealand and to mangroves internationally.

Biography:

Jaime Senabre is a Psychologist and Environmental Consultant. He has completed his Doctoral studies in the Department of Personality, Evaluation and Psychological Treatment of the UNED. He is the Chief of Brigade in a Forest Fire Service with more than 20 years of experience. He collaborates with several companies and institutions in the area of training in Psychology in Emergencies and Human Resources. He is Professor at the University of Valencia in the Master in "Intervention and operational coordination in emergencies and catastrophes" and other Postgraduate courses on emergencies. He has lectured internationally and has been part of the Organizing Committee of several International Congresses on Earth Sciences and Climate Change. He has published articles on forest fires, stress, psychosocial risks and emotional trauma, mainly in relation to emergency services and natural disasters. Currently, he is assigned to the Research Group on "Climate and Territorial Planning" (University of Alicante), where he researches on the social perception of forest fire risk and behavior in the event of possible disasters.

Abstract:

Society doesn’t seem to be aware of the negative effects that forest fires have on the soil, whose degradation can become irreversible in many cases. The soil is one of the fundamental elements for life on Earth and that isn’t given due attention. In the same way, in the studies on forest fires the action of the natural risks in territories affected by forest fires and the influence of these in the loss of soil are little taken into account. A determining factor of plant productivity is the quality of the soil, a limited resource that is easily destroyed, not only by the incidence of fires, but by the climatic and meteorological conditions to which the area affected by fire can be subjected: Torrential rains, floods, droughts, extreme temperatures, strong winds that can accentuate the loss of nutrients and erosion. According to data obtained from a survey on the perception of risk by natural phenomena carried out with the Spanish population (n=1223), 67.54% of the respondents think that they live in an area threatened by some natural phenomenon and 73.02% indicate that at some moment in his life, some natural disaster has occurred that has damaged the community in which he lives. In this line, another study conducted by our research group provides us with relevant data on the frequency perception of forest fires in Spain (n=1068), where 58.52% of the population declare to suffer the impact of forest fires each year, 5.34% every 10 years or more and 3.46% never. Given these findings on risk perception and based on actual incidence data, it’s possible to prepare, not only forest fire risk maps, but also risk maps of natural hazards to relate them, in order to establish the potential risk of loss of soil and the possible threat to biodiversity, based, mainly, on the observed changes in fire and natural disaster regimes.

Biography:

Colciencias It’s the Administrative Deparment of Science, Technology and innovation that depends on the presidency and leads the national System of Science, Technology and innovation (SNCTI). The entity focuses its efforts in four specific areas.

Abstract:

COLOMBIA BIO is a series of documentaries on the scientific expeditions carried out under a Colciencias project by the same name. The project intends to document the biodiversity of regions that have remained so far unexplored for several reasons, mostly related to the country’s armed conflict. Every chapter will record a journey, of high scientific value, aimed at completing the rich inventory that ranks Colombia as second most bio diverse country in the world.

 A group of passionate researchers will enter these inhospitable and hard to reach territories, to document their fauna, flora and microorganisms, and even more so, to discover any new species that may inhabit them. Meanwhile, we will observe the local communities, their historical background, their participation in the expeditions, and the impact of them in their lives.

 The series is highly cinematographic, and therefore, is in the hands of several Colombian filmmakers and movie directors, each of whom will be responsible for one episode. Based on their expertise, they will be free to tell the stories as they choose, granting priority to the researchers’ discipline and to the expedition as an occasion to discuss the country and its communities, beyond the territory. All these elements should be fundamental to complete their conceptual proposals.

The COLOMBIA BIO documentary series is one of the actions for the promotion of science, technology, and innovation of Colciencias’ Mentality and Culture Division. Its purpose is to foster and strengthen a culture that values and administers knowledge, by developing contents and experiences that improve the perception of Colombians about scientific matters.