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The BioMARathon in Catalonia

The BioMARató Catalonia “Beaches with life” is a citizen science event led by the Institut de Ciències del Mar (Institute of Marine Sciences, ICM-CSIC).

This friendly competition takes place from May to October and encourages citizens to take photographs of Girona, Barcelona and Tarragona coastal flora and fauna. All the observations are uploaded to the MINKA plataform

Aims

To catalogue the marine and coastal biodiversity in Catalonia.

To broaden knowledge of the species of the marine and coastal ecosystems along the Catalan coast, as well as their temporal distribution patterns.

To detect evidence of the effects of climate change using biodiversity as an indicator.

To raise awareness of the richness of marine biodiversity and transform the social perception of our beaches, revealing them as vital ecosystems.

To bridge the gap between the public and the scientific community.

The 2024 edition recorded more than 91,000 research-grade observations, with more than 1,720 species, thanks to the participation of 481 people.

Who organises it?

The BioMARathon is promoted by the research group EMBIMOS (EnvironMental and sustainaBility participatory InforMatiOn Systems) at the Institut de Ciències del Mar (ICM-CSIC).

EMBIMOS is an interdisciplinary research group that focuses on understanding, creating and implementing participatory information systems for environmental sustainability decision-making.

It is based on the principles of open and collaborative science and seeks to promote cooperative links between different participatory stakeholders such as civil society, non-governmental organisations, academia, industry and policy makers.