BioBlitz

On this page

• Is it for us?
• In the footsteps of
• Step-by-step guide
• More in-depth

Is it for us?

These questions will help you determine whether this tool is suitable for your organisation, objectives and situation.

What?
During a BioBlitz, participants identify animals, plants and fungi in a defined area. Observations are recorded and automatically recognised using the ObsIdentify app. These observations are uploaded to waarneming.nl, an international platform for citizen science. A BioBlitz is a momentary snapshot of biodiversity and an invitation to carefully observe all living things in and around a Zoöp.

What for?

• Gain insight into the biodiversity on and around your Zoöp
• Raise participants' awareness of their ecological environment

Where?
A BioBlitz can be organised anywhere. It is usually most valuable on or around the grounds of the Zoöp.

When and how often?
You can either join regionally organised BioBlitz events or organise a similar event yourself. Most species can be identified in spring or summer, but it can also be interesting to monitor them at different times of the year. Counting species is particularly suitable at the start of the Zoöp or as an interim measurement.

How much time, money, and materials will it require?

• Cost: No direct costs. Depends on the additional programme.
• Duration: At least one hour, depending on the additional programme.
• Preparation: Approximately one day.

Step-by-step guide

Preparation

1. Goal: Determine the goal. Will the focus be more on counting or sensitisation?
2. Programme: Based on this, come up with a possible additional programme that is in line with your goal.
3. Recruiting participants: Who is the target group? Is the BioBlitz intended as a team event for the Zoöp or as a public event for external visitors? Think about a suitable way to recruit participants (e.g. newsletter, website, social media).
4. Setup: Come up with a setup for the BioBlitz to stimulate educational or awareness-raising side effects.

Implementation

1. Welcome: Welcome participants and introduce yourself. If the BioBlitz is being done with a group, ask participants to introduce themselves to each other.
2. Introduction: Give a brief explanation of the location, the BioBlitz and how to use ObsIdentify.
3. Guidance: Participants will explore the area using the app. Be available to participants if they have any questions, whether technical issues, content-related questions or questions about understanding the Zoöp philosophy. In addition, initiating conversations and asking questions can help to encourage curiosity and enthuse participants.

Follow-up

1. Analysing data: Depending on your objective, it may be valuable to analyse the collected data in order to gain a good understanding of the biodiversity in the area.

Deepening

How does it affect the user?

• Increases awareness of the living world
• Strengthens the emotional connection with the environment
• Stimulates curiosity about ecological processesCombinations and applications

Depending on the objective and focus, the BioBlitz can be combined with the following programme items, for example:

• Detours or other types of guided tours
• Volunteer days
• Educational installations
• Workshops

Challenges and limitations

• Depending on the weather and season, the number of participants and observable species will vary.
• Some species are more difficult to identify than others, for example based on size (small insects), how they move (birds), or where they live (fish, worms). In addition, ObsIdentify focuses primarily on “native” species. Keep this in mind when analysing the results.
• Recruiting participants can be a major challenge, especially when targeting external visitors. It may therefore be helpful to link the BioBlitz to another event or to organise it at the weekend if it is to take place in a busy location.

Roles involved

• Facilitator
  
  • Knowledge of ObsIdentify and ability to explain its use
  • Awareness and sensitivity to ecological processes
  • Enthusiastic and communicative
  • Ideally with basic biological knowledge to guide discussion and in-depth exploration
• Participants
  
  • Both external visitors and Zoöp team members can participate

Inspiration
The BioBlitz is a global concept for measuring biodiversity in a specific region at a specific moment in time. It is coordinated by waarneming.nl in collaboration with museums such as the Natural History Museum Rotterdam.

Contact
For Zoöps: If you have any questions about the development and implementation of the BioBlitz, please contact Frank Bruggeman from Zoöp Nieuwe Instituut.

For other interested parties: contact the Zoönomic Institute via hello@zoop.earth and we will put you in touch with the right person.

Sources and links
If you have any questions about the development and implementation of the BioBlitz, please contact Frank Bruggeman at Zoöp Nieuwe Instituut.