ERSE Ecological Research and Services for the Environment is a Tuscany Company of experts in Environmental Biology and Natural Sciences. ERSE works throughout the national territory.
ERSE organizes Citizen Science projects in the field of environmental biology within the protected natural areas of northern Tuscany.
Citizen Science is science conducted with the contribution of citizens, who are actively involved in collaborative research activities. It is also referred to as “participatory science.” ECSA, the European Citizen Science Association, defines Citizen Science as an experimental field that adopts alternative models of democracy and the production of public knowledge. These projects introduce new data, information, partnerships, and perspectives, creating domains of knowledge that previously did not exist. Citizens, therefore, generate knowledge, and the knowledge, in turn, shapes citizens. Anyone can benefit from participating in outdoor participatory science activities: first, because the protection of natural resources concerns us all, and second, because it provides an opportunity to expand the knowledge base of both scientists and citizens through their involvement.
ERSE’s Citizen Science initiatives offer to participants the opportunity to engage in scientific research alongside professional biologists and ecologists, within genuine open-air laboratories. Participants are directly involved in field analyses to explore the biodiversity of various terrestrial, freshwater, or marine-coastal ecosystems where activities are organized. These initiatives foster cooperation between science and society, encouraging citizen engagement in environmental and nature conservation issues. Moreover, they allow people to better understand and interpret the environment and help young participants discover unexplored skills within themselves.
ERSE’s Citizen Science projects target middle and high school students, university students, eco-tourists, nature photography enthusiasts, apprentices, and the general public (ages >14 and above), both Italian and international (with multilingual support in English, German, Spanish, and French). Activities can be conducted in any season of the year.
Participants will assess the biodiversity of the seashore by collecting and analysing biological samples from the seabed and the shoreline.
Participants will perform an in-field biological assay to evaluate the Ecological Status of a freshwater stream.
Participants will investigate amphibians and reptiles from wetlands, shedding light on their ecology through in-field observations.
Participants will perform birdwatching, getting acquainted with the professional tools and watching protocols, and learning how to identify the most common bird species.
An actual Marine Biology survey from a specially-fitted motor sailor: participants will collect samples from seabed and seawater, and investigate the biodiversity of plankton and bottom-dwelling marine fauna.
From aboard our ship, the participants will follow on-screen and interact with a scuba diver equipped with radio and camera: the images from the seabed will be further explained and commented by a marine biologist.
By means of a 20-rows dragonboat, the participants will go canoeing on the gorgeous Massaciuccoli Lake (Tuscany), looking at its astonishing biodiversity. During the trip, they will also collect physicist parameters of the lake water and they analyze macrophytes species sampled with fish trap.
Participants will assess the biodiversity of the seashore by collecting and analysing biological samples from the seabed and the shoreline.
Participants will perform an in-field biological assay to evaluate the Ecological Status of a freshwater stream.
Participants will perform birdwatching, getting acquainted with the professional tools and watching protocols, and learning how to identify the most common bird species.
Participants will investigate amphibians and reptiles from wetlands, shedding light on their ecology through in-field observations.
An actual Marine Biology survey from a specially-fitted motor sailor: participants will collect samples from seabed and seawater, and investigate the biodiversity of plankton and bottom-dwelling marine fauna.
From aboard our ship, the participants will follow on-screen and interact with a scuba diver equipped with radio and camera: the images from the seabed will be further explained and commented by a marine biologist.
By means of a 20-rows dragonboat, the participants will go canoeing on the gorgeous Massaciuccoli Lake (Tuscany), looking at its astonishing biodiversity. During the trip, they will also collect physicist parameters of the lake water and they analyze macrophytes species sampled with fish trap.