As part of the Biodiversity Days, a large scientific BioBlitz is taking place today in the entire southern region of Luxembourg.
About thirty researchers from the ” Musée national d’histoire naturelle ” met this morning at 9:00 am in the Ellergronn to start their discovery and identification tours through the biosphere reserve.
In this context, the Minister of Culture, Sam Tanson, was present when visiting the first UNESCO biosphere in Luxembourg. In her speech to the scientists, the Minister stressed that in times of climate change and species extinction, the creation and recognition of the Minett UNESCO Biosphere is a sign that the Minett region can become an exemplary region for Luxembourg, showing that humankind and nature can mutually develop.
Before the Minister’s speech, Pol Zimmermann from the Administration de la Nature et des Forêts and responsible for the Ellergronn Nature and Forest Centre, welcomed the scientists and pointed out that the centre is currently developing a new permanent exhibition, which will open its doors for Esch2022 – European Capital of Culture.
The president of the Syndicat Pro-Sud, which manages the Minett UNESCO Biosphere, Anouk Boever-Thill, thanked the “Musée national d’histoire naturelle” in her speech for organising this year’s Biodiversity Day in the Minett Biosphere. She also stressed that this systematic inventory of species diversity in the biosphere reserve is of great importance and expressed her satisfaction with the more than 1700 observations made during the popular BioBlitz that started on 22 May.
The director of the “Musée national d’histoire naturelle”, Alain Faber, referred in his speech to the open BioBlitz, which led to the recovery of the Aristolochia clematis in the Ellergronn. This plant has not been found on this site since 1987. A class from the Ecole fondamentale du Brill in Dudelange found it yesterday in the forest in the context ofan activity organised as part of the Journées de la Biodiversité.
At around 10:00 a.m., the 30 scientists left the site to make an inventory of the biodiversity in the entire UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, an inventory that will be carried out throughout the day.
