The Science Museum of the University of Navarra participates with five citizen science activities in the I Spanish Flora Biomarathon . This initiative - promoted by the Spanish Botanical Society -is being held from May 21st to 23rd throughout Spain and its aim is to recognize the importance of plants in society, goal . To this end, citizens are encouraged to take photographs of the flora during the weekend and upload them to the iNaturalist platform, where all the observations made in the different Autonomous Communities will be recorded.

The activities organized by the Science Museum of the University of Navarra will begin on Friday, May 21, at 11:00 and 17:00 hours. In the morning, Rita Cavero and Laura González -teachers of the School of Sciences-, will guide the attendees through a tour of the campus of the University of Navarra where they will be able to record the flora they find along the way. The afternoon's workshop starts at Portal de Francia in Pamplona to tour the city walls, led by professors Ricardo Ibáñez, Ricardo framework and Mercedes Valerio. 

"This activity focuses on the study and knowledge of plants and allows us in a simple way to enjoy the biodiversity that surrounds us since in Navarra we have a great diversity of species," says Ricardo Ibáñez, researcher of the Biodiversity and Environment Institute of the University of Navarra. 

On the other hand, on Friday 21, Saturday 22 and Sunday 23 a group of students of the School of Sciences of the University of Navarra have organized botanical routes through the Sierra de Aralar, Valle de Aezkoa and Bárdenas Reales with the same purpose to collect data of flora and share that information.

"The advantage of these activities is that each participant can collect biodiversity individually and then share that knowledge through an application, where people who like nature and also scientific experts come together to confirm or help improve the identification of the different records," adds Ibáñez.  

Anyone who wishes to participate can register for these activities through the website of the Science Museum of the University of Navarra.

The I Spanish Flora Biomarathon aims to bring together this weekend hundreds of citizens, but also associations, universities, research centers, scientific institutions and Natural Parks around the identification, dissemination of knowledge and conservation of flora.