(23 March 2021) – The European Commission has launched ‘Pollinator Park’, an interactive digital tool to raise awareness about the alarming decline of pollinators and mobilise global action to address it.
Designed in collaboration with world-renowned ‘archibiotect’ Vincent Callebaut, Pollinator Park offers a glimpse of the bleak future that awaits unless we radically change our relationship to nature.
Publicly available as a web version and in virtual reality, it invites visitors to learn about pollinators, try their hand at pollination, shop for groceries in a pollinator-deprived world, and find out how they can help avoid this possible future.
Pollinator Park is set in 2050, when a cascade of ecological crises has impoverished the world and pollinating insects have all but disappeared. The one beacon of hope in this barren landscape is a futuristic farm, which provides a safe haven for pollinators and is an eye-opener for visitors.
Developed with the support of recognised scientific institutions – the Naturalis Biodiversity Center in Leiden, the Museum of Natural Sciences of Barcelona and the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Pollinator Park is suitable for dissemination in museums, events, and educational institutions.