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Recent advances in affordable virtual reality (VR) technology such as Oculus Rift have opened up new research avenues for all sciences, but especially those interested in highly spatial fields such as ecology. The opportunities of VR technology are threefold: First, real environments can be toured remotely but imersively, through the use of recorded high‐resolution video, or in real‐time through unmanned drones (one could take an abbreviated journey across an ecosystem, from a wooded valley to above the tree line); second, realistic simulations of actual environments can be created, and crafted to emphasize certain aspects that would be
difficult, expensive, or impossible to experience in real life (such as following a migrating animal over the course of a season); third, VR technology allows users to view, analyze, and interact with and visualize (big) data in unprecedented ways for individuals and teams. VR technology therefore has enormous potential for both research and education applications.