In February and March, students from IES Rubió i Ors in l’Hospitalet de Llobregat had the opportunity to enjoy the exhibition “Nature and Conservation of Wetlands in the Pyrenees”, an initiative within the LimnoPirineus project.

The LimnoPirineus project is a LIFE+ Nature project aimed at improving the conservation status of aquatic species and habitats of European interest in the high mountain areas of the Pyrenees and is the predecessor of the LIFE RESQUE ALPYR project.

Raising Awareness and Local Impact: What the Exhibition Offers

This outreach exhibition aims to raise awareness about the great value of these continental aquatic ecosystems, their biodiversity, the threats they face, and the importance of their conservation. Through various informative panels, the public can learn about endangered species such as the common midwife toad (Alytes obstetricans) and the common frog (Rana temporaria), among other specific examples of Pyrenean fauna.

Continental aquatic systems are rare environments that occupy only 2% of the Earth’s surface and are generally highly threatened. They are ecosystems with very specific and sensitive flora and fauna, where endangered species abound. In the Pyrenees, these wetland ecosystems are often considered very natural places. However, even though they are found in little altered landscapes, human intervention as a modifying agent has not been absent.

Science Outreach in the Neighborhoods: Science in the Neighborhood

The exhibition was brought to the school as part of the “Ciència al Barri” project, an initiative by the CSIC that brings scientific outreach activities to neighborhoods in Madrid, Seville, and Barcelona that traditionally lacked this cultural offer. Through workshops, lectures, reading clubs, exhibitions, and guided visits to research centers, the project brings students closer to the world of scientific research, which is often unknown to many.

This initiative is led by the Vice Presidency for Scientific Culture and Citizen Science of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), with support from the Ministry of Science, Innovation, and Universities. The first five editions of this project were made possible thanks to the funding from the Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology (FECYT), which is part of the Ministry of Science and Innovation.

If you would like to request the “Nature and Conservation of Wetlands in the Pyrenees” exhibition for your educational center, you can do so through the following link.