Amsterdam: experience the first-ever walking movie
You can watch it over and over since it will be available for the next six months
Here is a long-dreamed chance for holidaymakers to combine leisure with benefit and help out the environment
Scientists from the University of Algarve (UAlg), in the south of Portugal, have issued a call to beachgoers to record the state of algae accumulation on the country’s beaches and report it to them. For this purpose, the researchers have created a digital platform, called Algas na Praia (Seaweeds on the Beach), the same as the project.
If you find yourself wondering why the accumulation of seaweed on the beach is important, the answer is that it can point to imbalances in the marine ecosystem – both in the water and on the sand.
The call for help is returning for a new edition after it was already tried out last summer. Scientists have noticed the presence of invasive seaweed species coming from as far away as Australia and Japan.
The sight of too many algae on the beach can be a nuisance as it makes swimming harder and unpleasant and when the biomass can cause an unpleasant smell when it rots. However, the issues are more than just aesthetic.
Seaweed overgrowth is often (if not only) the result of an excess of nutrients from the discharge of urban effluents or from fertilization in agriculture. When algae grow excessively, they can harm biodiversity, fisheries and the beach's environmental quality.
This is where beachgoers can put on their scientist assistant’s hats and join in with reporting the state of their favourite beach. Users can go to the dedicated platform (available in Portuguese and in English), fill in the questionnaire and submit photos they have taken. And with that, suddenly, a day at the beach will not be all about idleness.
The scientists study the input to evaluate patterns in accumulation and get a clearer picture of the state of coastal biodiversity.
But how do algae from Australia or Japan get there anyway? The researchers from the University of Algarve explained that they can come attached to the hulls of ships, but also through the importation of oysters, for example.
However, not everything is bad news and these species can even be useful. The same university also counts on the Nutrisafe project, which is studying how some of these algae can be used to create food supplements or medicines to fight chronic inflammation.
Vasco Alves Cordeiro comes from the Azores archipelago of Portugal, and is thus the first CoR President from that country and from an outermost region
You can watch it over and over since it will be available for the next six months
The FAST-CARE package comes at a time of growing needs and concerns and in the context of the ongoing war in the European neighbourhood
Abandoned fishing gear is one of the most dangerous threats to the marine environment, but also to divers and underwater heritage
The town of Makarska has recently launched a new mobile service, aiming to cut down on paper use and stimulate citizens to go contactless
The invention promises to be revolutionary as it can decouple food production from agriculture and its environmental impacts
It turns out spraying water would be extremely impracticable and wasteful due to fast evaporation
The art initiative was begun by the city's mayor, who wants to expose people that try to save on transportation costs by illegally disposing of old furniture or construction materials
This is one of the ambitious goals from the new agreement details for the “Fit for 55” package
You can watch it over and over since it will be available for the next six months
The FAST-CARE package comes at a time of growing needs and concerns and in the context of the ongoing war in the European neighbourhood
Trenitalia has announced that it wants to reduce the phenomenon of domestic animals being left behind alone while their owners go on holidays
These will be spread across 11 EU countries and will serve to support the EU Missions
The European Commission has accepted to develop the idea
An interview about AYR, one of the 2021 New European Bauhaus Prize winners
A conversation with the Mayor of Matosinhos, Portugal’s first UN Resilience Hub
An interview with Nigel Jollands and Sue Goeransson from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development
An interview with the President of the City of Athens Reception & Solidarity Centre