The third edition of this innovative educational project by BIOPARC Valencia, in collaboration with Caixa Popular and the Valencian Ministry of the Environment, promotes student participation in the direct learning and conservation of native ecosystems. The ocelots cared for throughout the school year complete the cycle, reinforcing wild populations of this distinctive, endangered amphibian.
El direct contact with nature and participation in a real conservation action have been the focus of the third edition of ribbed newt conservation project (Pleurodeles waltl), in which students from three Valencian schools participated. The initiative, promoted by the BIOPARC Foundation in collaboration with Caixa Popular and the Ministry of Environment, Infrastructure, Territory and Recovery, thanks to the agreement established with the Valencian Government, has culminated in the Reintroduction into its natural habitat of nearly 100 specimens of this threatened native amphibian.
Newt conservation project
During the course, students from CEIP Manuel Serrano-María Moliner (Mislata), CEIP Joan XXIII (Catarroja) and Colegio Nuestra Señora del Carmen y San Vicente de Paúl (Valencia) have been part of the “Naturalization of Classrooms” programAn innovative proposal that brings Valencian ecosystems closer to schools through the installation of aquaterrariums. This has allowed students to closely observe the development of the ecosystems. Newts born at BIOPARC Valencia to understand their life cycle, their biological behavior and the need to protect them Mediterranean aquatic ecosystems.
“Naturalizing Classrooms”, an educational program to raise awareness among schoolchildren
La educational experience This has been complemented by two days of activities held at the Balsa Blanca in Enguera (Valencia), an enclave of great ecological value that is home to seven of the eight amphibian species present in the Valencian Community and constitutes a key space for their reproduction and survival.
In this way, the students have had the opportunity to learn about their surroundings firsthand and transfer the acquired knowledge to the natural environment during the course on threatened habitats and endangered fauna, participating in various activities guided by specialists from the Ministry of the Environment and the technical team and BIOPARC Valencia Educational Center. Among them, the following stand out: species identification workshops present in the wetland, water quality analysis, dynamics regarding the main threats that affect these animals and playful proposals such as the "River Plate Trivia".
Gallipatos in the Valencian Community
Undoubtedly, The most exciting moment of the project has been the reintroduction into the natural environment of the Iberian ribbed newts, which the students themselves have cared for and monitored for months.Also known as the ocelot, it is included in the Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and in the Valencian Catalogue of Threatened Fauna Species. the only salamander in the Valencian Community and the largest in the Iberian PeninsulaTheir populations have suffered a significant decline mainly due to habitat loss and degradation, water pollution, and the presence of invasive species, factors that have led to a particularly worrying situation in much of the Mediterranean coast.
In this context, initiatives such as the one promoted by BIOPARC Foundation, People's Bank and Ministry of Environment are fundamental both to strengthen the populations of this unique amphibian and to raise awareness among new generations on the importance of caring for natural heritage. The collaboration between the three entities demonstrates how the sum of efforts can generate a positive impact on biodiversity while It promotes practical and transformative environmental education.
