Hola, My name is Lucely Vilca Bustamante, I’m from Peru, specifically from Cusco (very close to Machu Picchu). I studied Biology at Universidad Nacional San Antonio Abad del Cusco, I am still a bachelor. I am studying the first months of a Master’s degree called Ecology and Environmental Management in my same University and I am currently doing a summer internship in the Department of Biosciences at the University of Bergen, Norway.

I collaborated as a field assistant for some researchers who study the ecology of the different ecosystems that exist in my country, All this led me to learn and know a lot about the taxonomy of plants in that region. Scientifically, I am interested in Ecology in relation to plants, especially in communities of plants high Andean of paramo and puna and how these plants will have trait variations in response to global changes such as Climate change, global warming and biodiversity loss, in relation to its distribution and human impact. In Perú, there are few studies carried out with a focus on traits and even less in areas of Pajonal with a large altitudinal gradient.

I have had the wonderful opportunity to participate in the Functional Traits Course in Peru (PFTC3), thanks to this I was able to better understand the ecology based on functional traits; But, I still consider it a new topic for me, so I am very happy to participate again in PFTC4 to consolidate, clarify concepts I learned, improve my skills in the measurement of functional traits, know in depth the applied methodologies, the use of specialized machinery, in addition to the analysis and interpretation of data, for later applying this methodology in my research project (Pre-graduate Thesis). What most excites me of the course, is to know the Arctic ecosystem, to learn there the Ecology with a focus on functional traits, at the same time to work with new people with great experience, from different parts of the world. With regard to climate change in Svalbard, I recently read a report, it indicates that the Arctic, is warming twice as fast as the rest of the planet. Winter rains used to be unusual, but now this has become more frequent. The main cause: climate change, many people noting changes in temperature and changes in the ecosystem, there is more Atlantic plankton than the Arctic, so new species of fish, birds are arriving, in addition, Permafrost is melting destabilizing their homes, They indicate that this is unusual.Through the past PFTC3, I was able to experience some public perceptions of climate change in my country. In Peru, most people have heard of Climate Change, but only a minority, understand that the consequences are risks for sustainable development.Because projections are generally global, most Peruvians believe that climate change occurs only in developed countries and, in addition, limitations in research and local scientific knowledge do not help to understand that climate change affects everyone.Many Peruvians do not differentiate global warming from climate change, but associate believing that it is the same, at the same time they indicate that such warming is due to human activities such as industry,  but they are not aware that oneself from home be part of this. Talk about climate change in Peru if it is a very controversial issue, due to the different approaches it presents.