Citizen collaboration requested to monitor the biodiversity of metropolitan beaches during the summer

The Kentish plover, the ash-grey lizard, the common blue damselfly, and the European rabbit are some of the flora and fauna species that can be found during the summer on the beaches of the eight metropolitan municipalities: Castelldefels, Gavà, Viladecans, El Prat de Llobregat, Barcelona, Sant Adrià de Besòs, Badalona, and Montgat. With the arrival of summer, the Barcelona Metropolitan Area (AMB), Institut Metròpoli, and the Institute of Marine Sciences (ICM) - CSIC call on citizens to collaborate in monitoring the biodiversity of these beaches through the BioPlatgesMet project. The action requested from the public is to photograph the flora and fauna of the beaches and dunes using the citizen science platform MINKA, available on web and app.

Each summer, the metropolitan beaches receive about eleven million visitors. David Piquer, AMB beach technician, emphasizes that “in this period of higher influx, we have a dual objective: to raise awareness that beaches are ecosystems very rich in biodiversity and to request citizen participation to build a collaborative inventory of local flora and fauna species.” Therefore, one of BioPlatgesMet's objectives is to bring the local nature of each municipality closer to the population. 

“It is essential that everyone understands the importance of preserving these natural spaces, as they are crucial habitats for many species. An example is the dunes, which are delimited with ropes on most metropolitan beaches,” says Elena Domene, head of Sustainability at Institut Metròpoli.

Since the BioPlatgesMet project began on June 8, 2022, more than 5,200 observations of 599 different species have been collected on MINKA, with the participation of 137 people. 

“At ICM-CSIC, we validate all this data provided by people so that it has scientific value and can be used for research projects and beach management,” explains Jaume Piera, ICM-CSIC researcher. 

Last May, the BioPlatgesMet data was incorporated into the global data repository GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information System), contributing to international scientific knowledge. In parallel, the observations of marine flora and fauna collected on MINKA throughout the summer will also be part of the BioMARató, another citizen science initiative that aims to report the biodiversity of the entire Catalan coast.

Animal shelters to withstand the summer

An inventory of the biodiversity of metropolitan beaches and dunes is crucial for guiding management and protection actions for these ecosystems. A notable example is the installation of an animal shelter on the beach of La Pineda in Castelldefels, built with organic materials, such as driftwood, to maintain humidity and low temperature. These structures are essential to promoting biodiversity on metropolitan beaches, as they help curb habitat loss and extreme summer conditions, creating a more stable and natural environment for local fauna. “This shelter provides a safe habitat for many animals, for example, reptiles like the Iberian wall lizard, and micromammals like the Mediterranean mouse. Additionally, it has specific holes for solitary bees and wasps, which are essential pollinators for the ecosystem and harmless to the public,” notes Piquer.

Photography contest to boost participation

Today also marks the start of a photography contest organized by BioPlatgesMet, which consists of completing a “bingo” of species that can be found on metropolitan beaches and dunes. Aiming to encourage people to get to know the nature around them better and to use their beach visits during the summer to contribute to science, the contest proposes searching for and photographing the most characteristic species of the season. The contest will run throughout the summer until September 15. The people who score the most points, based on the species they find and upload to MINKA, will be awarded prizes and special experiences for nature lovers.