Monte Pisano BioBlitz 2025

FRAMEWORK project partner Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna (SSSA) helped organise a BioBlitz in Monte Pisano on April 26-27, as part of the global City Nature Challenge. The citizen science initiative brought together researchers, farmers, students and nature enthusiasts to document biodiversity across this beautiful area of Tuscany, home to the project's Val Graziosa Farmer Cluster.

Credit: Museo di Storia Naturale dell’Università di Pisa

The event featured six guided nature walks, including one led by the project's Anna-Camilla Moonen from SSSA's Institute of Life Sciences on the semi-natural habitats of the olive grove agroecosystem. Over 190 participants took part and the collaborative effort resulted in impressive biodiversity documentation, with 91 observers recording 1,459 observations of 420 different species via iNaturalist.

The event extended beyond the weekend activities, with a local high school class participating on Monday, April 28th, during the final day of the City Nature Challenge. This educational component aligns with FRAMEwork's mission to connect younger generations with agricultural biodiversity and ecosystem monitoring.

This BioBlitz once again demonstrated how structured public engagement can contribute to both scientific data collection and community awareness of local biodiversity. The event also strengthened connections with the wider community, creating opportunities for knowledge exchange about biodiversity-friendly farming practices.

The success of BioBlitz Monte Pisano 2025 has catalyzed efforts to establish a permanent biodiversity monitoring network in the region. SSSA is now working with the Natural History Museum of the University of Pisa and six participating municipalities to consolidate this network, ensuring the continuation of annual BioBlitz events as part of the City Nature Challenge. This forms part of their broader work to consolidate positive progress and learnings from FRAMEwork, with an upcoming future-focused event planned with local stakeholders.

For those interested in exploring the biodiversity documented during the event, results are available on the iNaturalist City Nature Challenge 2025 - Monte Pisano project page. Check out FRAMEwork's page for more observations!