‘Geo’ Organizes 15th ‘Geo Day Of Biodiversity’

What precisely does climate change mean for nature? With this question the G+J magazine “Geo” invites participation in the 15th “Geo Day Of Biodiversity”. On 15 June 2013, almost 100 experts will closely examine the indigenous fauna and flora and the alpine agricultural landscape in the Upper Tauern national preserve in Tyrol as an example. The goal is to find and document as many animal and plant species as possible within 24 hours from Austria’s Gschlößltal valley to the base of the Großvenediger glacier.

The excursions take place under the motto “Diversity in transition: How plants and animals are reacting to climate changes”. The transition of the natural habitat of plants and animals becomes especially clear at the edge of receding glaciers in the Alps. “Geo” will carry out the nature inventory together with the Upper Tauern national park and the state of Tyrol.

With 1,856 square kilometers the national park is the largest nature reserve in the entire alpine region. The “Geo Day of Biodiversity” is the largest field research campaign in Europe. For more than 15 years nature enthusiasts have been contributing to the preservation and documentation of the animal and plant world and discovering species that were thought to have been lost. Last year, a total of 20,000 nature enthusiasts participated with over 600 projects throughout Germany and many other countries, among them renowned zoologists and botanists.

Everybody—laymen or experts, students or teachers—can organize or participate in a “Geo Day of Biodiversity”. In this case, hundreds of smaller biodiversity campaigns nationwide are available. The campaign’s website offers an overview of all of the excursions; those who are interested in participating have until June to register. The campaigns aim to discover and identify as many different plants and animals in a clearly defined area. “Geo” compiles the results in a central database. Those who wish to organize their own “Geo Day” in their region can find all pertinent information online at geo.de/artenvielfalt.