Biodiversity Week
On the occasion of the International Day for Biological Diversity, “Acting locally for global impact”, which will be celebrated on 22 May 2026, the University of Pisa promotes “Settimana della Biodiversità” Biodiversity Week: a programme of initiatives, activities and workshops dedicated to discovering and observing the variety and many forms of organisms in our surroundings.
Biodiversity refers to the variety and complexity of life forms, including animals, plants, fungi, microorganisms, and more, as well as the relationships they establish with one another and with the ecosystems in which they live.
Biodiversity is often thought of as something distant or associated only with large natural areas. However, it is also present in the places we visit every day, as well as in unusual or rarely observed places where we would not necessarily expect to find it.
“Settimana della Biodiversità” is co-organised and promoted by the Department of Biology( https://www.biologia.unipi.it/en/) , the Natural History Museum (https://www.msn.unipi.it/it/) , the Botanical Garden and Museum ( https://www.ortomuseobot.sma.unipi.it/) , and the University Committee for Sustainable Development (CoSA) (https://www.unipi.it/ateneo/chi-siamo/sviluppo-sostenibile-e-agenda-2030/la-commissione-per-lo-sviluppo-sostenibile-di-ateneo/ ), with the contribution of numerous other Tuscan organisations and institutions.
Bioblitz
From 16 May to 23 May 2026, BioVersity2026 will take place: a widespread bioblitz across the municipalities of Altopascio, Bientina, Buti, Calci, Calcinaia, Capannori, Casciana Terme Lari, Cascina, Castelfranco di Sotto, Collesalvetti, Crespina Lorenzana, Fauglia, Lucca, Pisa, Ponsacco, Pontedera, Porcari, San Giuliano Terme, Santa Croce sull’Arno, Santa Maria a Monte, Vecchiano and Vicopisano.
BioVersity2026 è un evento in cui la comunità del territorio pisano, tra cittadine/i, ricercatori e ricercatrici, studentesse/i e semplici appassionate/i, osservano la natura, fotografano gli organismi che incontrano e condividono queste osservazioni su una piattaforma comune, contribuendo così a raccogliere informazioni utili sulla biodiversità di un territorio. Non è necessario avere esperienze specifiche: anche chi partecipa per la prima volta può dare un contributo importante.
BioVersity2026 is an event in which members of the local community, including citizens, researchers, students and nature enthusiasts, observe nature, photograph the organisms they encounter, and share these observations on a common platform. In this way, participants help collect useful information on the biodiversity of the local area. No specific experience is required: even those taking part for the first time can make an important contribution.
For BioVersity2026, the iNaturalist( https://www.inaturalist.org/ ) platform will be used. This tool allows participants to upload photographs of living organisms, record the location of each observation, and contribute to documenting local biodiversity, while also adding to global biodiversity knowledge.
To take part, register on iNaturalist (https://www.inaturalist.org/) or download the app on your smartphone.
The BIOVERSITY2026 bioblitz is open to everyone. Members of the local and university communities, families, nature volunteers, enthusiasts and curious participants are all welcome, even without specialist knowledge.
To ensure that observations are correctly counted within the initiative, all participants must join the BIOVERSITY2026 project (https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/bioversity2026 ) on iNaturalist and contribute to data collection.
The 2026 edition also includes some new features. To allow broader participation and include activities organised over the weekends, the bioblitz will last eight days.
In addition, it will cover a wider area than in previous years, including the municipalities of Altopascio, Bientina, Buti, Calci, Calcinaia, Capannori, Casciana Terme Lari, Cascina, Castelfranco di Sotto, Collesalvetti, Crespina Lorenzana, Fauglia, Lucca, Pisa, Ponsacco, Pontedera, Porcari, San Giuliano Terme, Santa Croce sull’Arno, Santa Maria a Monte, Vecchiano and Vicopisano, and encompassing Special Areas of Conservation, parks and reserves. The aim is to observe and promote awareness of biodiversity in a range of environments, from urban contexts to more natural areas.
Photography contest
Alongside the bioblitz, for the fourth consecutive year, the University Committee for Sustainable Development (CoSA) (https://www.unipi.it/ateneo/chi-siamo/sviluppo-sostenibile-e-agenda-2030/la-commissione-per-lo-sviluppo-sostenibile-di-ateneo/ ) promotes the BIOVERSITY2026 photography contest.
The photography contest, which includes prizes, is reserved exclusively for students of the University of Pisa, whereas the bioblitz is open to anyone who wishes to take part.
The contest aims to encourage the student community to observe the living world carefully, to tell its story through photography, and to reflect on the importance of biodiversity and of the tools that allow us to document and study it.
Here you can find the call for applications.
Rules of the Photography Contest BIOVERSITY2026_PROT
Go to the registration form.( https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=MWtFxyCi9Ue-Ukc4KGcKoeEfaeIAn6xAvRPVVEbIM6xUMlhUN0NCQVBPNENUSklTVDBKVDJOVUZUVi4u )
“Settimana della Biodiversità” / Biodiversity Week Events
The events will be held in Italian, except for Open Microscopes, or “Microscopi aperti”.
Click here to view the full programme of the week’s events.
Biodiversity Week (https://www.msn.unipi.it/it/eventi/settimana-della-biodiversita/ ) will also include other opportunities for discussion and learning, with activities organised by different institutions and organisations.
Open Microscopes “Microscopi aperti”
Among the many planned activities, on 20 May 2026, from 15:30 to 19:00, Laboratory 2 of Polo Nobili, in Via Alessandro Volta 4 bis, Pisa, will be open to participants. They will have the opportunity to use microscopes to observe, photograph and upload observations of organisms and microorganisms to the iNaturalist platform.
This activity is also intended to remind us that biodiversity is not made up only of large or easily visible organisms, but also includes very small life forms, often little known yet fundamentally important.
