Geopark Digital Biodiversity Stations: exploring our natural heritage
The biological richness of the Arouca Geopark, particularly in the Natura 2000 Sites of Community Interest (SCI) Serra da Freita and Arada and the SCI Rio Paiva, justified the implementation of two Biodiversity Stations (EBIO) on the ground. These are the Merujal EBIO (located in Serra da Freita, along the route of Small Route 7), which was inaugurated in 2014, and the Paiva Walkways Biospots (located along the Paiva Walkways), inaugurated in 2015.
The stations are part of a national network of EBIOs where, along a walking route, we can find information panels with content about the fauna, flora and/or fungi that can be observed along the route. These panels act as a “field guide” for visitors, who will find images and descriptions of the territory’s emblematic species. The aim of the EBIOs is to increase knowledge about biodiversity, contribute to the enhancement of the natural heritage and, most importantly, promote citizen participation in the inventory of a place’s biological wealth.
Everyone is therefore invited to become actively involved in this citizen science project, and we challenge you to “RIP”, i.e. recordyour observations by taking photographs, identifythe species and SHAREthe information with society via the website https://www.biodiversity4all.org/. Alternatively, you can upload the images captured on your cell phone, at any time, to the Global Network via the iNaturalist app (available for download from the App Store or Google Play), which is also associated with the national Biodiversity4all platform.
These tools allow you to identify the species observed, with the help of scientists and naturalists. You can upload your observations anywhere in the country to these tools, which are a great way to explore the biodiversity around you in times of lockdown and connect with nature. By recording and sharing your observations, you will be creating valuable research data that can be useful for scientists to better understand and protect nature. The preservation of biodiversity, as well as the stability of ecosystems, is a pressing need and of the utmost importance to human beings! Among many other factors, the extinction of species represents an irreversible loss of unique genetic codes, often linked to the development of new medicines.Suggestions for exploring the theme:
- EBIOs of Arouca Geopark: consult the panels of each of our EBIOs in the attached pdf documents PAIVA Biospots and EBIO Merujal;
