Earlier this month, ANERIS was strongly presented during the 59th edition of the European Marine Biology Symposium (EMBS). The event took place between the 7th and 10th of July in Peniche, Portugal, where project partners from BIOPOLIS highlighted ANERIS and the BioMARathons with an oral presentation and a poster. 

The EMBS, dating back to 1960, brings together marine scientists from around the globe and provides a platform for deliberating critical topics and exchanging knowledge. EMBS’ key objectives include: improving marine science through talks, presentations and discussions on selected themes; bringing marine scientists together; raising awareness of marine biology; and fostering networking, international collaboration, and dissemination of research data. 

ANERIS and the BioMARathons (BioMARatona in Portugal and BioMARató in Catalonia) were strongly presented by project partners from BIOPOLIS. The BIOPOLIS team led an oral presentation during the session Citizen Science and Participatory Monitoring, titled BioMARatona: Leveraging Citizen Science for Intertidal Biodiversity Monitoring. During their talk, our partners introduced the initiative, objectives, methodologies and main achievements over the last three editions of the BioMARatona, by highlighting the numbers of participants, recorded species, and outputs. The presentation described both the BioMARatona and BioMARató, emphasising their different implementation strategies, level of public participation and challenges. 

Additionally, ANERIS and the BioMARathons were presented with a poster, showcasing results from a recent study reporting the expansion of invasive marine species in Portugal, based on records collected during the BioMARatona. This contribution highlighted the importance of citizen science in supporting the early detection of non-indigenous species and contributing to marine biodiversity monitoring. 

The EMBS gave marine scientists and researchers the chance to network, collaborate, and exchange knowledge, together with a welcoming environment and interesting sessions. Learn more about the symposium on their website.