Deep within the heart of the Amazon rainforest, where nature and culture are inseparably linked, blooms the Inírida flower — a symbol of the territory’s richness and vitality. During the COP 16 summit in Cali, this exquisite bloom becomes a beacon of hope, carrying with it the voices and traditions of indigenous communities who have safeguarded these ecosystems for centuries. However, beneath its beauty lies a stark reality: the pressures of unchecked extraction and the urgent need to balance development with conservation.

Alrededor del Árbol for COP16 Biodiversity Conference, Cali, Colombia, 2024 Earthrise Studio invited Más Arte Más Acción (MAMA) to join them at Project Everyone’s Nature House during the COP16 biodiversity conference in Cali, Colombia. In response, MAMA produced a special version of the circular table installation and soundscape, incorporating contributions from Centro Siembra and the Atrato Guardians. Presented in October 2024 in partnership with Global Witness, the installation highlighted the stories of the Atrato Guardians—14 Indigenous and Afro-Colombian representatives dedicated to defending the rights of the Rio Atrato in Chocó.

Around a Tree for the 20th Edinburgh Art Festival, Scotland For the 20th edition of the Edinburgh Art Festival (EAF), Around a Tree brought together ecology, botany, and the arts at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE) from 9th to 25th August 2024. At the heart of the project was a stunning 6-meter diameter circular table—crafted from the timber of a diseased Lebanese Cedar and built around a young Portuguese oak—that served as a hub for activities, accompanied by the evolving soundscape.

Around a Tree for the XX International Botanical Congress in Madrid 2024 Invited by Dr. Lucia Lohmann in collaboration with the International Association for Plant Taxonomy (IAPT), Around a Tree contributed to the XX International Botanical Congress (IBC) in Madrid, July 2024, to explore the critical role of botanical research in addressing ecological and climate challenges. The focuss was on conducting video interviews with scientists from diverse career stages, geographic origins and ethnic backgrounds, creating an Oral History of Botany that documented career trajectories, assessed changes in the field and highlighted the impacts of climate change and biodiversity loss.

Around a Tree for the 60th Annual meeting of the Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation, Kigali, Rwanda 2024 Dr. Lucia Lohmann, President of the ATBC and member of the Around a Tree team, invited MAMA to participate in the 2024 ATBC meeting in Kigali, Rwanda, to document the vital work of delegates through video interviews. These interviews focused on the impact of climate change on plants, conservation efforts related to their work around the globe and the significance of the ATBC as an international network for tropical biology and conservation.

Around a Tree for the Irish Plant Science Annual Meeting in Cork 2024 At the 2024 IPSAM meeting, leading international botanist Professor James Richardson of University College Cork played a pivotal role in kick-starting this stage of Around a Tree. Held on June 17-18, the project featured interviews with scientists that explored humanity’s relationship with plants in the face of rapid biodiversity loss. Uniquely, some questions were posed from the perspective of plants, encouraging deeper reflection on ecological interconnections.