In December, students from Escola Congrés Indians in Barcelona made two remarkable discoveries during an educational outing to explore the seabed at the Fórum Baths, Barcelona. Organised in collaboration with FECDAS and ICM-CSIC, the activity engaged 9-10-year-old students in sampling and documenting marine biodiversity. The findings were later uploaded to the citizen science platform MINKA, contributing to broader environmental monitoring efforts.
During the activity, CSIC members collected several kilos of waste, mainly wet wipes, from the seabed near the coast to highlight this environmental issue to students and help them understand the fauna and flora coexisting with it.
Using tools such as tweezers, magnifying glasses, and microscopes, the students uncovered a variety of tiny organisms they never imagined finding.
The students uncovered two species never before recorded in MINKA Barcelona:
Crab (𝘌𝘣𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘢 𝘦𝘥𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘴𝘪𝘪): Discovered among wet wipes on the sandy seabed.
Spotted pipefish (𝘕𝘦𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘴): Found camouflaged among plastics and algae.
Additionally, they had the chance to see how Mateo takes such great care of the aquariums at the FECDAS facilities. Thank you for sharing your knowledge with such passion and professionalism!
This activity not only highlighted the richness of marine biodiversity but also underscored the impact of waste on local ecosystems. Students connected their classroom learning with real-world challenges, gaining valuable insights into the importance of protecting marine life.
By embracing open schooling methodologies and collaborating with research institutions, Escola Congrés Indians demonstrated how schools can inspire curiosity, foster environmental stewardship, and make meaningful contributions to citizen science, despite not receiving funding through ProBleu’s grant calls.
Funded by the European Union