The UAB's 2nd Bioblitz brings together 170 participants who identified an endangered and protected lichen
In the 2023 edition of the UAB's Bioblitz, participants detected for the first time on campus the presence of the lichen Waynea stocechadiana, considered a vulnerable species in Catalonia, in addition to identifying 260 animal and plant species. Thanks to these two editions and other contributions by campus users, the UAB has managed to register 645 different species and conducted almost 1800 observations, which can be consulted at the iNaturalist project "Biodiversitat del campus UAB".
13/04/2023
The Bioblitz UAB once again has been a success in both participation and results in this second edition, which which took place on campus this past March. The 170 people who participated in the activities of this citizen science initiative identified 260 different species of living beings and made 406 observations, which can be consulted in iNaturalist.
One of the most significant observations was the detection of the threatened and protected lichen Waynea stocechadiana for the first time within the campus. It is a species found on the bark of trees such as oak trees and is included in Catalonia's catalogue of threatened flora due to its degree of vulnerability. The identification has been carried out by the lichenologist Maria José Checa, from the Group of Bryophytes and Lichens of the Catalan Institute of Natural History, along with volunteers from her working group.
"This finding highlights the importance of native forests on the UAB campus, such as oak and holm oak groves, and the importance of conserving them to preserve and protect biodiversity and threatened and protected species," says Sandra Saura, researcher at the Department of Animal Biology, Plant Biology and Ecology of the UAB and at CREAF, and coordinator of Bioblitz.
This year's data have been added to those collected last year and, together with other observations made by campus users, have been incorporated into a new iNaturalist project, "Biodiversitat del campus UAB", where all living beings identified so far can be consulted. In total, there are 645 identifications of different species of animals and plants, and 1,771 observations.
The data collected are being evaluated by the researchers and incorporated into the project "Awareness and research to transform by educating and influencing for the improvement of biodiversity and sustainability at the UAB campus", which is directed by Sandra Saura and aims to disseminate the ecological importance of the UAB's campus and carry out management actions to improve ecological conservation.
More participatory initiatives on campus biodiversity
Along with the Bioblitz, other actions for citizen participation have also been launched. One of them is a chat on the Discord platform, where the UAB naturalist community can chat and exchange information and ideas and clarify doubts about the different species of animals and plants on campus.
The second action has been the creation of an environmental forum to reflect and discuss actions to promote biodiversity on the university campus. In the first meeting, held on 2 March, it was considered a priority to carry out actions for the improvement of biodiversity conservation, especially the conservation of wild meadows to maintain the basis, support and maintenance of the rest of species making up the campus' ecosystem. The next environmental forum will take place on 12 April, from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m., in the Hortaula of the Faculty of Education. Registrations to participate are already open.
The UAB Bioblitz is funded by the Fundació Autònoma Solidària (FAS) of the UAB, in collaboration with the Environmental Office, the Faculty of Biosciences and the Department of Animal Biology, Plant Biology and Ecology, and CREAF.
Experts in field biology from the following associations and entities participated in this second edition: Department of Animal Biology, Plant Biology and Ecology of the UAB, CREAF, Catalan Association of Malacology, Catalan Institute of Natural History (ICHN), Natural Park of Sant Llorenç del Munt (Provincial Council of Barcelona), Biodiversity Research Institute (IRBio), Association for the Defense and Study of Nature (ADENC), Catalan Society of Herpetology, Orchidiology Group of Catalonia (GOC-ICHN), Anthaxius (Orthoptera Group of the ICHN) and BrioLi (Bryophytes and Lichens Group of the ICHN).
Bioblitz 2023 video: https://youtu.be/F4dSJ_P1MBs
Bioblitz 2022 video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0gTdzzPZkrk