CIBIO-InBIO RESEARCHERS COLLABORATE WITH THE NATIONAL PROJECT “VOLTA AO CONHECIMENTO”

The annual cycling event “Volta a Portugal” receives a lot of media attention, being widely broadcasted by RTP1, namely through the entertainment programme “Há Volta”. This year, for the first time, an online platform was developed to convey a selection of relevant data on the natural and cultural features of the locations included in the cycling route. The website “Volta ao Conhecimento” includes information about territory, patrimony, natural heritage or gastronomy, unveiling interesting snippets of scientific knowledge that stems throughout the many stages of the race.

The contents developed for this platform, presented in an appealing yet scientifically accurate fashion and combining scientific, geographic/land and societal dimensions, resulted from a collaborative process that included precious contributions from CIBIO-InBIO researchers, Francisco Álvares, João Honrado, Paulo Alves and Ricardo Jorge Lopes. The team gathered relevant information about state-of-the-art knowledge on the fauna and flora richness in every single stage of the race, illustrating the texts provided with exquisite imagery and other audiovisual resources made available by themselves, by other CIBIO-InBIO researchers and collaborators, and by a wide range of organizations from the scientific community, local administration, and civil society/NGO's. The overarching goal of this effort was to raise awareness about the national territory and the cultural, scientific and technological heritage it harbors, and promote public engagement in science, by bringing together the scientific community and the common citizens.

Also available on the platform are brief interviews by prominent national scientists, in a rubric named “Cientistas à Volta”, which airs during RTP1’s program “Há Volta”. Nuno Ferrand, CIBIO-InBIO Scientific Coordinator, was the guest of Stage 5 (Lamego => Viseu), which took place on August 1, 2016. In his interview, conducted by famous reporter Mário Augusto, Nuno Ferrand talked about key research studies carried out by CIBIO-InBIO researchers at international and national levels, highlighting a few that are taking place specifically at Viseu and surrounding regions.

During the interview, Nuno Ferrand also underlined the projects related to wolf conservation, which are currently ongoing at Montemuro and Freita Mountain, calling attention to the impact of these studies within the local communities. CIBIO-InBIO’s Coordinator also referred to the biodiversity present in this particular region of the country, highlighting the relevance of biodiversity-related studies for the preservation of our biological patrimony.

To visit the website “Volta ao Conhecimento”, please click here.

To watch the interview, please follow the link below:
“Há Volta” (From 10:01 to 15:31 – Part 4) | RTP 1 | August 1, 2016