Catas Event: Citizen Science and Soil Sampling in Forua
On 19th June, the Basque Living Lab hosted a multi-stage event in Forua, bringing together partners, local stakeholders, and young students to learn, share, and collaborate on soil and biodiversity monitoring.
A Morning of Learning and Co-Creation
The day began at San Fidel School, where our partners met with Cristiano Pisani from CETENMA, representing the Southeast Spain Living Lab Greenomed. This collaboration highlights the strong cooperation between Spanish Living Labs within the project.
The students of San Fidel proudly presented two posters they had created (in Basque), focusing on soil health and biodiversity, setting the stage for the discussions to come. Cristiano shared insights on soil theory and the unique aspects of soil testing in Forua, based on earlier exchanges with GAIA.
Afterwards, a co-creation session was held, where partners brainstormed to review already identified sampling plots and propose new ones. A special thanks goes to the mayor and technicians of Forua for their valuable contributions.
From Classroom to Fieldwork
Later, about 30 students joined the group at Landaberde. Equipped with government-issued citizen science kits, they learned how to measure parameters related to water and soil health. Meanwhile, the Basque LL partners and technicians worked on selecting sampling plots and transect types in the area.
The activities continued at two more sites:
- Apeadero, where similar measurements and selections were made.
- Atxaga, a newly chosen site, where Cristiano guided the technicians through a sampling simulation following the project’s methodology (D3.1).
Looking Ahead
All these activities had one clear objective: to prepare for the baseline sampling on 30th June — which was successfully carried out.
This event beautifully combined scientific collaboration, local engagement, and citizen science, reinforcing the importance of soil health monitoring while involving the next generation in the process.
Pictures by Gorka Nalda
