Creating gardens all over the city to save hummingbirds

A project from the National Autonomous University of Mexico ( UNAM ), is looking to create gardens for hummingbirds all over the city , with the aim to attract more of these birds and increase pollination , said María del Coro Arizmendi , the head of the project.

The expert explained her project during a symposium about protected natural areas in Ibero-America , that started on July 18 in the Costa Rica University ( UCR ), in San José.

According to the expert, the hummingbirds are of great ecological importance because they're responsible for the sexual reproduction of many flower species . These little birds go from plant to plant, and they also contribute to pollinate them , as bees do too .

Arizmendi

says that the purpose of the project is to implement gardens for the hummingbirds as a way to attract them and feed them in a city where their natural habitat has been destroyed .

These gardens can be used as a way of environmental education to highlight the importance of the hummingbird conservation as they are pollinators and the importance of this process for nature conservation.

The first garden was created inside the green areas of the FES Iztacala ( UNAM ) in 2014 , with very good results . From then on, the idea is to implement it in schools, preschools , and a nursing home.

“If diversity is wanted , we must encourage the creation of gardens . A huge space is not needed , you can do it with pots ”, said the project's creator.

Mexico City

has 17 different hummingbird species , from a total of 58 species in Mexico. These are found mainly in parks and cultivation areas , and it's in the southern part of the city where there's more diversity.

With these gardens, it is expected that other hummingbird species will be attracted.

The symposium where María del Coro Arizmendi presented her project was attended by other experts from Argentina, Brazil, Spain, Honduras, and Mexico.

According to Daniel Briceño , the principal of the Biology Faculty of the UCR , the aim of the symposium is to highlight the role of the pollinators in agriculture and in protected areas and to bring these matters closer to the public .

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