New Nature Campus session at Món Sant Benet
The students in the Nature Campus programme discovered the natural environment and landscape around the Llobregat River and its riverine forest located at its meander as it flows by Món Sant Benet in the programme’s new session for baccalaureate students.
They first studied the riverine ecosystem of the Llobregat River and evaluated the water quality by identifying aquatic macroinvertebrates and fish and measuring different physicochemical parameters.
During their outing to the river, they also learned about the fish ramp that the Catalunya La Pedrera Foundation built at this meander. This is a new environmental action at the Món Sant Benet complex between Sant Fruitós de Bages and Navarcles with the goal of assisting the mobility of fish and other animals living in the river, such as turtles, crabs, otters and insects, which currently cannot cross the weir.
Finally, the students also got involved in studying the riverine flora by identifying the main plant species on the river bank and in the Mediterranean forest surrounding Món Sant Benet.
Nature Campus Programme
The goal of the Nature Campus Programme is to foster scientific vocations in students in their 1st and 2nd year of baccalaureate with a particular interest in the field of biodiversity and nature conservation.
The programme is an opportunity for students to become familiar with fieldwork and learn more about the different techniques used to study and conserve land and marine flora and fauna from experts in this field.
The programme consists in 7 theoretical-practical sessions on Saturdays or the entire weekend held throughout the school year between the months of September and May. The majority of the sessions take place at the natural spaces owned by the Catalunya La Pedrera Foundation: MónNatura Delta, Món Sant Benet, Montserrat – Coll de Can Maçana, MónNatura Pirineus, Alinyà Mountain and La Pedrera – Casa Milà. These sessions examine issues related to biodiversity and environmental and nature conservation.