The exhibition EDURRIO was opened in Coimbra, Portugal
Present during the opening of the exhibition were the President of the Municipal water Company Águas de Coimbra, the president of the Faculty of Sciences and Technology of the University of Coimbra (UC), the Director of Jardim Botânico de Coimbra, the Coordinator of MARE at UC, and the Director of the Department for Environment and Sustainability of the Municipality of Coimbra.
Small streams located inside cities are often unknown by citizens and are degraded due to centuries of urbanization. The exhibition EDURRIO aims therefore, to raise the awareness of citizens and decision-makers to the importance of these ecosystems for the sustainability of cities.
Urban streams are very important for the preservation of biodiversity but provide also important services to the population of cities, such as purifying the air, soil and water with their vegetation, mitigate the effect of floods, buffer against high temperatures, or provide even food, such as fruits or aromatic plants. They also provide natural areas for leisure inside cities, contributing to the improvement of human physical and mental health.
These topics are shown in EDURRIO in 28 panels located at the Botanical Garden and at the Water Museum (Antiga Estação Elevatória do Parque), distributed through 9 topics: Urban stream ecosystems and their alterations, Ecosystem services of urban streams, Riparian vegetation, Microbial communities, Aquatic invertebrates, Fish, Birds, Exotic and invasive species, Management and good practices.
The exhibition will take place in Coimbra, Portugal until 16th of June and from there it will go to other cities, starting with Évora, in the south of Portugal.
Author(s): Maria João Feio & Ana Raquel Calapez
Links: The video of the Opening event with details about the exhibition is here: https://www.facebook.com/museudaagua.coimbra/videos/169707305633272
Keywords: Cities, freshwaters, rivers, streams, biodiversity, ecosystem services