Film Info4 minutes
Natural Numbers Available for Free AND Ticketed events Synopsis: Mangroves are trees that have evolved to survive in flooded coastal environments. A fragile web of life that generates valuable ecosystem services. Mexico is one of the countries with the more mangroves, but also occupies one of the first places in the rate of deforestation. Each year thousands of hectares are cleared and replaced by shrimp farms, agribusiness plantations, or mega tourism development. At current rates of deforestation, in 25 years it will have lost about 50% of mangroves in Mexico. Filmmaker Q & AWhat inspired this story?
Mangroves are a fragile web of life that generates valuable ecosystem services. Mexico is one of the countries with the more mangroves, but also occupies one of the first places in the rate of deforestation. Each year thousands of hectares are cleared and replaced by shrimp farms, agribusiness plantations, or mega tourism development. At current rates of deforestation, in 25 years it will have lost about 50% of mangroves in Mexico. We wanted to create a film that could get a broad, non-specialized audience to this important topic. |
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Describe some of the challenges faced while making this film?
The mangroves of Mexico have a tremendous diversity, ranging from the dwarf trees in the deserts of Baja California to 40 meter-giants in the coastal forests of Chiapas. To tell the story of mangroves in an innovative way, the team of Natural Numbers spent more than 1,000 hours in the field, working in 10 different locations, and using various techniques such as time-lapse, drones or underwater photography. That is a lot of fieldwork for a 4-min video!
How do you approach science storytelling?
Natural Numbers is a series of short films that combine sound science, stunning photography and creative graphics to present the value of the natural capital of Mexico and the conflicts of its exploitation, with the goal of transforming the audience into an environmentally engaged citizenship.
What impact do you hope this film will have?Science produces a lot of information on the value of ecosystem services that, because of its complexity, never reaches beyond the specialists and it is rarely taken into account in the policy making process or the consumer decisions. Powerful and clear communication materials that summarize this information are needed to transform a simple viewer in responsible citizens
Were there any surprising or meaningful moments/experiences you want to share?
Many people, specially in the cities, often think of mangroves as filthy swamps, unhealthy breeding grounds for mosquitoes with no value for society. While on location for the mangroves production we met a lot of families whose life is inextricably linked to this valuable ecosystem. It is their home and their livelihood. Spending time with them was an eye-opening experience
The mangroves of Mexico have a tremendous diversity, ranging from the dwarf trees in the deserts of Baja California to 40 meter-giants in the coastal forests of Chiapas. To tell the story of mangroves in an innovative way, the team of Natural Numbers spent more than 1,000 hours in the field, working in 10 different locations, and using various techniques such as time-lapse, drones or underwater photography. That is a lot of fieldwork for a 4-min video!
How do you approach science storytelling?
Natural Numbers is a series of short films that combine sound science, stunning photography and creative graphics to present the value of the natural capital of Mexico and the conflicts of its exploitation, with the goal of transforming the audience into an environmentally engaged citizenship.
What impact do you hope this film will have?Science produces a lot of information on the value of ecosystem services that, because of its complexity, never reaches beyond the specialists and it is rarely taken into account in the policy making process or the consumer decisions. Powerful and clear communication materials that summarize this information are needed to transform a simple viewer in responsible citizens
Were there any surprising or meaningful moments/experiences you want to share?
Many people, specially in the cities, often think of mangroves as filthy swamps, unhealthy breeding grounds for mosquitoes with no value for society. While on location for the mangroves production we met a lot of families whose life is inextricably linked to this valuable ecosystem. It is their home and their livelihood. Spending time with them was an eye-opening experience
