The complex networks of interactions between plants and animals within ecosystems are becoming increasingly similar, a process likely to increase risks of ecological disruption. A solution is to target which species are likely to reverse homogenization by filling ecological roles lost due to past species decline.
On September 17 2020, botanist Per Arvid Åsen took 30 biology students on a safari around Klosterøya. Our goal was to learn about medieval plants and the importance of biodiversity. Knowledge of plants is vital not only for planting the park and its fruit forest, but also for understanding the role of vegetation for our survival and biological wellbeing. After the plant safari, the students cast plants in plaster to make modern “fossils”.