The Portuguese Ecological Society celebrated the Ecology Day once again, an international initiative that brings ecology and society together in the search for a more sustainable human development. To mark the day, research centers, environmental non-governmental organizations, companies, and municipalities were invited to think and develop a set of activities and educational resources aimed at raising public awareness on various ecological issues.
CESAM was represented on that day through the activities carried out by researchers Bruna R. F. Oliveira (CESAM/DAO) and Inês Domingues (CESAM/DBio), who shared a bit of their experience.
Bruna Oliveira, from the RESTORE4Cs team at the University of Aveiro, organized an informative scavenger hunt in the Ria de Aveiro to celebrate Ecology Day 2023. According to the researcher, “this activity, aimed at the local community of all ages, focused on ecosystem services, such as salt extraction, plants used for nutrition, bird nesting, flood control, tourism, and leisure.” The event was co-organized with the A-AAGORA project and had the support of the Municipality of Aveiro and the Portuguese Ecological Society.
On the other hand, Inês Domingues, responsible for the “Caring for the Forest” activity, told us that “despite heavy rain that surprised the participants, the occasion was not wasted.” The LifeTerra project, which has supported reforestation activities in the Bosque da Ramalheira, through its representative in Portugal, Carlos Carvalho, awarded the researcher in the LifeTerra Climate Action Awards 2022-2023, in the “Most Involved Terra Leader” category. The award was celebrated with a convivial lunch.
The Ecology Day proved to be a unique opportunity to raise awareness about the importance of ecology and commitment to nature.
Learn more about this initiative here: https://www.ecologyday.eu/