Biodiversity Challenge - Wageningen University & Research
Will you join us outdoors to see, feel and taste nature on the Wageningen Campus? Once again this year, we will venture outside to admire the extraordinary biodiversity around us. Register for one of our guided excursions, or grab your phone and go discover species with colleagues, friends or just by yourself.
As in 2023, Wageningen University & Research will once again compete against 18 other life sciences universities from the European ICA network. Who will find the most, most beautiful and most unusual wild species on campus?
Programme of activities
| Activity | Date | Time | Location | Registration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opening of the 2024 ICA Biodiversity Challenge | Thursday 2 May | 11.00-12.00 | Online | |
| Kick-off of Bioblitz | Thursday 2 May | 12.00-13.00 | De Zaaier, Atlas | Open to all |
| Expedition to the microcosmos | Tuesday 7 May | 12.00-13.15 | Start at Axis | Registration closed |
| Birding by sight and sound: guided bird tour of the WUR campus | Monday 13 May | 7.00-9.00 | De Zaaier, Atlas | Registration closed |
| Hotel CaliWormia excursion | Wednesday 15 May | 12.00-13.15 | Start at Radix | Registration closed |
| Amphibians excursion (KNNV, 2x) | Saturday 18 May | 9.30-10.30 and 10.30-11.30 | The Field | Registration closed |
| Butterflies excursion (KNNV) | Saturday 18 May | 14.00-16.00 | Bus stop Campus/Forum | Registration closed |
| Ecological walk | Tuesday 21 May | 12.00-13.15 | De Zaaier, Atlas | Registration closed |
| WUR works for Wageningen! | Wednesday 22 May | 13:30-16:00 | Kadolokaal (Hoogstraat 31, Wageningen) | Registration closed |
| Bats excursion (KNNV) | Friday 24 May | 21.30 | Forum, South entrance | Registration closed |
| Biodiversity Challenge event in Wageningen | Saturday 25 May | 9.30-15.00 | Wageningen: Grote Kerk, Markt 1 | Registration closed |
| Food forest Droevendaal | Tuesday 28 May | 12.00-13.15 | Start at Unifarm | Open to all |
| WBI get-together: Join the Bioblitz | Thursday 30 May | 16.00-17.00 | Start at Impulse | Open to all |
| Moth count (KNNV) | Monday 3 June | 22.30 | The Field, Akkermaalsebos 2 | Register here |
| Wasp excursion | Thursday 6 June | 12.00-13.15 | De Zaaier, Atlas | Register here |
| Dragonflies excursion/count (KNNV) | Saturday 8 June | 13.30-15.30 | Bus stop Campus/Forum | Not required |
| Dragonflies excursion (in Dutch) | Wednesday 12 June | 12.00-13.15 | De Zaaier, Atlas | Registration closed |
| Creative Community Garden Wageningen: Lunch walk | Thursday 13 June | 12.00-13.15 | Start at Radix | Registration closed |
| Pollinators excursion | Tuesday 18 June | 12.00-13.15 | De Zaaier, Atlas | Registration closed |
| Campus Expedition: Ecological Campus Tour | Thursday 20 June | 12.00-13.15 | De Zaaier, Atlas | Registration closed |
| Ethnobotanical excursion | Tuesday 25 June | 12.00-13.15 | De Zaaier, Atlas | Registration closed |
| Wild Potato Species Tour | Wednesday 26 June | 14.00-15.00 | Nergena (Building 112, Bornsesteeg 10) | Registration closed |
| Conversation session on ecological crises, indigenous knowledge and your personal story | Thursday 27 June | 19.30-22.00 | Innovation, Impulse | Registration closed |
| Closing of the 2024 ICA Biodiversity Challenge | Friday 28 June | 15.00-16.30 | Impulse | Open to all |
Bioblitz: record species with an app
How exactly does the Bioblitz work?
Recording species is very easy. To do so, you can download one of three apps from the App Store or Play Store: ObsIdentify (for Android and iOS), ObsMapp (Android only) and iObs (iOS only). With those apps, you take a picture of what you see, and then read on your screen which species it probably is. Then you submit your sighting at the touch of a button. You can also enter sightings directly on observation.org.
Please note that we only count wild species! Planted flowerbeds or animals kept by humans will be rejected.
How do I add my entry to the Biodiversity Challenge?
Your entry will automatically be added to the Biodiversity Challenge when submitted between 2 May and 28 June at a location belonging to Wageningen University & Research. This applies both to the Wageningen Campus and to WUR locations outside Wageningen.
- View the WUR Bioblitz 2024 at Observation.org
- See the results of the 2023 ICA Challenge on Observation.org and Artportalen (Sweden)
What happens to the collected data?
The data collected from the Biodiversity Challenge will be used to monitor the score, and see how great our biodiversity is compared to other universities in Europe. Afterwards, students will work with the data to map the distinctive observations, and compare them with data from previous years.