Hi, I’m Conor! I’m a natural history filmmaker from the UK. As I write this, I’m here at the LFP field station in Cipaganti. I came to Java to make a film about how wildlife friendly farming can benefit the farmers as well as the species they share the land with. It’s important to remember that wildlife isn’t separate from agriculture but necessary to facilitate it. I hope my film can convey this message.

Life on the farm

Bees, moths and other insects pollinate the coffee, birds, and bats keep the trees pest free and civets, squirrels and tree shew disperse the seeds and fertilize the soil. All of this work goes unrecognized but is essential for a healthy crop.

And then there’s the loris!

The loris is a pollinator, a pest controller and fertilizer. Not to coffee directly but to the bamboo and eucalyptus surrounding each farm. These trees provide shade during the dry season and reinforce the land during the rainy season, protecting from mudslides and floods. These trees are home to the carpenter bees that pollinate, the birds and bats that guard and the small mammals that disperse and fertilize the coffee.

My film

I want to capture each of these species doing their jobs as well as the farmers doing theirs. I want to show how they can work in tandem and the benefits of doing so. I also truly love coffee so it has been fun “researching” the film and trying the different roasts and styles that they have here in Java. So far, some species have proved harder than others to film, namely the Javan kingfisher. They’re fairly common around here, bright blue with orange beaks, yet they have proven to be very camera shy. Even as I write this I can hear them outside and feel as though I should run out with a camera. I was very lucky on my first night shoot and saw 5 wild lorises, 3 civets, and 2 ferret badgers. I have just over a week left so I hope this luck continues.

Credits

The people of Cipaganti have been so welcoming and it’s clear they care and respect the wildlife that surrounds them. I have loved my time here and it’s so important that the farmers and LFP are doing what they do to protect this biodiverse ecosystem. I hope my film can help them in some small way. Conor Ferris