On Wednesday 15 December we were invited to a morning of extremely interesting lectures on diurnal butterflies, the biodiversity of our Nature Reserve (under threat) and the artemis - a hugely successful invasive species.
We were each given a beautiful book in colour on butterflies, produced by the Valencia Natural History Museum, as well as a copy of the glossy magazine produced by the Friends of the Wetlands of South Alicante.
The three speakers took questions from a packed room including the park staff, volunteers, and representatives of industry and regional government. The lectures were part of the Jornadas Ciencia y Sociedad events and were translated into English by Maureen.
Despite a late start (the butterflies speaker got lost en route), it was inspiring to be together with our colleagues from the park and to hear park director Conchita praised as the forerunner in bringing together interested parties at a time when collaboration seems to be the only way forward for conservation in the present financial climate when funds are extremely limited.
We learned a great deal about the life cycle of butterflies, the problems facing biodiversity such as the disappearance of species, and the history and spread of the artemis – the tiny prawn lookalike creature so beloved by our local flamingos.
Wednesday 15 December 2010
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