Natura sulle Mura

Periodically active

from 28/04/2018

The ancient, still almost complete city walls of Grosseto (one of the few examples in Italy), consist of large embankments and green areas colonized over time by several wild species of animals and plants. The event aims at creating a list of the wild organisms living in this green area surrounding the city centre with the help of the public. “Natura sulle mura” (nature on the city walls) was conceived and organized by the Maremma Natural History Museum, locate in the city centre, quite close to the XVI century city walls. Participants can freely register in specific dates and move from the museum to the city walls to carry out one hour of field survey. They are asked to take pictures and to identify organisms with the support of the iNaturalist app or with the support of some experts available at the museum. They facilitate the process of data validation before sharing the results with the Scientific Community. Specific webpages dedicated to the event show a live update of the findings (live maps and pictures taken), thanks to the services provided by iNaturalist’s APIs. At the end of the day, a ranking is drawn up based on the number of observations and identification made. Participants gaining the best three positions in both categories are awarded with gadgets and other prizes.

Aim

The aim of the project is monitoring biodiversity living on the earthworks of the ancient city walls in Grosseto (South Tuscany), producing a database of the wild living organisms that populate this specific urban environment.