'Geo' Editorial Teams Organize 'Day Of Biodiversity'

Midnight in the region of Voose in Estonia, 70 kilometers east of the capital of Tallinn. The silhouette of a Ural owl clearly stands out in the bright night sky. The bird, half a meter high, sits on the top of a pine tree. Then his dark "boohoo" resounds – similar to that of the eagle owl, only deeper. "Geo Estonia" recently invited nature lovers to search for species in the Voose forest. The participants, equipped with compass and map, set out with ten experts to identify plants and insects. And there was more: they also searched for animals droppings and identified the species that produced them. The northern hare, for example, leaves behind "round pills," the hare "olive stones," and the deer "raisins."

In Hungary, knowledge seekers set out on a two-day tour to explore the nature near Nagykovácsi. The village in the north of Hungary is surrounded by hills that are famous for their biodiversity. A "Geo" team also walked through the northern national park of Duna-Ipoly; researchers caught and rang birds – and examined water animals such as common newts, terrapins, and water scorpions.

In Croatia the feedback was especially high. Private radio stations had advertised the Day of Biodiversity ahead of time. Almost 2,000 visitors were fascinated by the spiders, ants, and various other species on a warm spring day.

While the first rays of the sun announced summer in Central Europe, winter was coming in Namibia in mid-May. In the Okongo Forest, one of the country's regions with the highest biodiversity near the border with Angola, a "Geo" Day of Biodiversity took place. On board a van, a diverse group of people fought their way through the wilderness on narrow sandy paths searching for insects, plants, and mammals.

8,000 kilometers away from the Okongo Forest is the Russian nature preserve of Losiny Ostrow on the north-eastern perimeters of Moscow. Here, several dozen of species detectives participated in the second Russian Day of Biodiversity at the end of May. They collected garbage and discovered snakes and other animals; only the namesake of Losiny Ostrow (Elk Island), did not show up. Still, the Russian "Geo" editors summed up the day as a full success.

In Brazil, the "Geo" day also came to a successful end. Near the city of Belterra in the northern state of Paraná researchers, doctors and city dwellers discussed the dangers of poisonous animals with students. Since Belterra is permanently growing the contact with snakes, caterpillars, spiders or scorpions is going up – alongside the injuries and allergies. A project of the Brazilian Butanan Institute aims to raise the awareness of the dangers on site. "Geo" Brazil also used the day of the campaign for directing attention towards this science initiative and its promotion