Biodiversity: past, present and future

Biodiversity:











past,










present










and










future

























Proiect Erasmus+ no.2019-1-FR01-KA229-062187_5

EDIȚIA

About our project





On November 13, 2017, more than 15,000 scientists from 184 countries
issued a warning to humanity. The pressure from societies, the environment is

sufficiently and increasingly deteriorating sufficiently and increasingly so that in
the near future "ecosystems with no longer have the capacity to sustain the
fabric of life". This appeal to the whole world therefore testifies to the absolute

urgency of taking action. Recently, twenty years after its first report, Living
Planet 2 published the grim report of a 60% decline in the population of wild
species in less than forty years. For WWF, if we want to "live in a healthier and

more sustainable world, for the benefit of people and natural systems", we must
stop and reverse the decline in biodiversity; it is ambitious but achievable. We
must act now and today, future generations are involved in maintaining and
restoring biodiversity in the world. The ecological transition requires education.

As UNICEF3 points out to the necessity of raising, this requires "raising
awareness among children and young people, but also raising their awareness of
the need for action". Youth must be able to be educated and become a full

partner in achieving the 17 Global Sustainable Development Goals set in 2015
to achieve the goals by 2030.


As part of a project approach and thanks to cooperative mechanisms
establishing an authentic democratic life, this Erasmus+ project proposes that
the student, as a future responsible citizen, can express his ideas, confront them
with others, and in particular imagine how to participate in the necessary

transformations of society. By referring to a certain number of values such as
listening, respect for others, sharing, mutual aid, solidarity, responsibility,

autonomy, cooperation and by developing a cooperative pedagogy that gives
meaning to learning, this project is also fully in line with the objectives of the
teaching. Mobility in each of the different countries is essential to study
biodiversity on a larger scale and above all to become aware that it is an

international, even global, concern. A limited number of "ambassador" students
from his school will participate in each of the mobilities so that the group of
high school students trained on site is not too large and allows exchanges and

visits to the sites in complete safety.

For the diffusion at different scales, all the activities carried out by the

students before, during and after the mobilities will be grouped on a twinspace.


1

All communication will be in English. The link to access the twinspace will be
available from the sites of the 5 high schools (from a tab dedicated to the

Erasmus project on the high school website). Local media will be involved in all
partner countries (radio, television, newspapers,...)

The benefits provided to participants in direct connection with the subject

matter will be:

- to encourage citizen engagement in the ecological transition,


- to develop the practice of civic, argumentative and scientific debate,

- to share and share best practices between different countries to take care of the

planet.

In the project approach, pupils are actors, sometimes even authors of their

learning; thus, they learn to become autonomous and responsible (individually
and collectively), skills that are essential in the long run to be a responsible
European citizen in terms of ecology.


Students engage in activities whose meaning they perceive and which
renew their interest in their studies (fight against dropping out of school). The
actions required to carry out the project are ways of mobilising acquired

knowledge and developing new knowledge, particularly in English. The actions
to be carried out must take into account economic, material, time and human
constraints, which is formative for the students who may one day have the

responsibility of setting up the same project. This European project makes it
possible to open up to others, to other institutions, to share competences, to
compare opinions... .


Finally, active participation in the project implies a collective life and
therefore training in civic life.




Project coordinator,


Mrs. Nathalie Avellaneda












2

Perpignan – heavenly afternoon, we visited Collioure and

destination Château Royal.
The coordinator of the project was Pablo
Perpignan or Perpinya in the Catalan Picasso Highschool, which provides for its
language is the first destination of students, various educational programmes.
Erasmus+ KA229 ”Bidoiversity: past, We must say that we were very impressed
present and future” project. The mobility of its architecture and laboratories, as we
th
th
took place between 14 and 18 October interacted with the French students on the
2019, the participants being from Iceland, second day.
Spain, Italy and Romania.

On the first day, in the morning, we
visited the French research ship ”Tara”,
found in the harbour Banyuls-sur-Mer. The
sailing was intended to marine ecosystems
and biodiversity investigation regarding to
the way the plastic waste affect the living
creatures of the sea.





































Next, we visited the ”Observatoire
Océanologique de Banyuls-sur-Mer”, also
known as ”Arago Laboratory” a marine
station in Banyuls-sur-Mer on the
Mediteranean Coast of France. In the




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On Thursday, we were taken to the
Biodiversarium from Banyuls-sur-Mer,
having an Aquarium and also a
Mediteranean Garden. There we can find
about 300 species of fish, invertebrates and
other plants. The Biodiversarium surprises
the visitors and also the scientists in their
daily activities. The old Aquarium was the
oldest structure in Europe and the oldest on
the French Mediteranean Coast. The new
Aquarium Biodiversarium has similar
features to the old one but it also presents
the local Mediteranean fauna.


Later, in Canet-en-Roussillon, we
ecologized a part of the beach. We must
admit that the beach was very clean, but
we enjoyed walking on the beach, the
breeze and the blue colour of the
Mediteranean.


















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On the third day, we got to the most
modern waste sorting and incineration
factory in Europe - Pézilla-la-Rivière and
also to the wind farm around Baixas,
Calce, Pézilla-la-Rivière, Villeneuve la
Riviere. There were also so many
interesting things.















































Then, we went to the Natural Site
Goulyrous Keys in Tautavel, a place of a
rare beauty. The day continued with a
walk in the historical centre of Perpignan.
What caught our eyes was the Spanish
architecture influentions.












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The Mediteranean Garden Mas de la
Serre which covers an area of 3 acres has
over 500 species of plants and a rich fauna,
is an ideal place for naturalists and
photographers.






































The stay in Perpignan was an
unforgettable experience for us; we learnt
new things about the biodiversity of the
place and at the same time we inroved our
English Speaking abilities. We also had the
oportunity to learn about local traditions,
traditional foods and we all became
friends. Each of us left home hoping that
some day we would meet again.














7

The story of elves’ land Tired because of a three- hour jet
lag, eventually we fell asleep.
Once upon a time, in the north of

Romania, in a small city called
Borsa, after careful consideration
and a thorough examination six

students from ,,Borșa High school”
were selected to take part in an
Erasmus Project that took them as
far as Iceland.


Those six lucky students were
about to study the biodiversity of an
amazing place for five days. We, Being aware of the cold weather,

Beatrix, Alina, Bogdan, Denis, we layered up some really warm
Gabriella and Bianca through this clothes and started our quiet walk

project, had the chance to learn towards “Flensborgarskóli”, then we
many new things about our beautiful headed for the town that was
planet and to understand how supposed to be our home for the next
important it is to act as soon as 5 days: Hafnarfjörður.

possible to preserve its beauty and
its natural unique qualities.

Exiting the airport, the coldest

wind hit us straight in the face, but
thankfully, the bus was ready to take
us to our hotel. The first night was

the most challenging, I can say. We
just discovered Icelandic water, with
the intention of taking a shower. We
were shocked by the funny smell,

but grateful that we were able to
freshen up a bit with the hot water

that came straight from the famous
geysers. Falling asleep was hard
with all the thoughts running through
our heads: How will those people be

like; Are we going to get along with
them; Are we going to have fun?



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to understand the Icelandic culture
better, noticing the people,

architecture, stores and even how
open the retailers were towards the
tourists who entered their stores. At
dinner, we were already tired and

most of the students decided to just
go to their hosts and rest and get to
know each other better. The reality

Confused, we were looking for the of being alone in the most northern
students that we met only a few country of Europe hit us right to the
months ago, and were about to be core just when we were supposed to

our hosts. We were welcomed in a go to sleep.
classroom and there we sat down
among the other students from:

Spain, Italy, and France and of
course Iceland. We still can’t forget
the lyrics of the famous song that

became our anthem: “This is the a-ö
of Iceland/So try to sing along/This
is the a-ö of Iceland/What could

possibly go wrong?” We finally met
our lifetime friends and they joined
us in the discovery of the hidden
people “the elves” and their amazing

legends. We also discovered our
lunch menu for the week: vegetarian

food, which is actually really great,
by the way. By lunch we got to
know our hosts a little bit. After that,
we visited “The Great Auk” and

learned about the story of the last
example of these species and how it
got extinct. We were taken to

Reykavik, where we had some time
to visit “The Perlan Museum”.
Really close to the museum, we got




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the mountains, which were right
across a waterfall.




























Waking up was a little difficult,
but seeing how other people’s

mornings went on, was interesting.
We had breakfast, and as usual, we
got ready to go to school, except we
didn’t actually go to school, we only

met there with the rest of the group.
We got on the bus with our new
friends and listened to them while

they explained us what we were
gazing at through the large windows
of our bus, then a bit later, the trip

continued with some stories told by
our special guest of the day
“Theodor”. So, we finally arrived at

the “’Black Church” where we had
one of the most interesting
experiences of the entire week. Next,
we had a nice walk to a beach with

no sand, but only black rocks. There
is where we had our tasty lunch and
after that we all got the chance to see





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We were served hot chocolate
and tea to warm up a little bit and

afterwards we actually met some
famous superstars: Patrick Star and
SpongeBob Square Pants.


Next, we learned some
interesting facts about the Icelandic
invasive species that were in fact
brought there by the native

population and also about the types
of glacier waters in Iceland.

Still very close to the ocean, we
heard the history of the glaciers and

volcanos inside of them. We were
told that these volcanos would
someday erupt and destroy
everything around them, but we
don’t have to worry, because we,
probably won’t live that long to see

it happen. Afterwards, time for
dinner came and we tasted some
vegetarian lasagne and then we went
to the pool.













At the Library of Water we had a

short break and we taught Romanian

dances.
On Wednesday, after the
breakfast we headed to the docks,
ready for a nice or “windy’’ sailing,

and studied with our guide the
biodiversity of the ocean.




11

To stick to the routine, we
finished our day at the pool. On our
way back to the hostel, we tried to

find the northern light but
unfortunately, had no luck.





Unfortunately the fourth day of
our stay was a rainy day but end up

as an interesting and full of
accomplishments day in the end.
We begin with being explained how

Island evolved so much from an
economic and social point of view.
Then we visited the “Geothermal

museum”, where a really nice lady
explained us the new facility called
,,Orca’’ which is pulling carbon

dioxide out of the air, so it can be
stored underground to freshen up the
air. At the same place, right before




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closing time, we admired the shelves
full of crystals.




















































It was our last night there so it
was time to finally celebrate our
experience at Flensborgarskóli

where the graduation ceremony took
place. The headmaster was very
nice, letting us know how their

school works and how it is
organized. We received our

diplomas and some gifts to never
forget our hosts and our staying in

this beautiful part of the earth. We





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spent our last night in different ways
with our new best friends.

We started our last day at the

Blue Lagoon resource park where
some really kind people showed us

the way the spa worked and how
their cosmetic products were made.
Also, they gave us as a gift, a face
mask.


















But the sight that made the day the

most amazing of all, was the visit to
a volcano that erupted a month prior
to our arrival. We had lunch at this
wonderful place.


The hardest time of the day was
when we said our goodbyes. We
were all very sad and you could see

tears in everybody’s eyes. Our next
destination was the airport. A really

long and awful flight was awaiting
us. But what is for sure is the fact
that we will never forget this
adventure and we will be always

thankful to those who made this
experience possible.









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Erasmus+ KA229 in Borșa: a ries and we took the famous

one of a kind experience “Mocănița” through the mountains
that surround our town.
My name is Alex and I was one of

the lucky students from Borșa High
School that had the opportunity to
participate in this project with lots of
wonderful people.
th
nd
Between the 18 and the 22 of
October 2021, a group of teachers
and students from Spain, France,
Italy and Iceland came to our town,
excited to get to know our culture
and to study the biodiversity of this
part of Romania.






















For me, this experience was a

fairly new one, as I have never
participated in this kind of activities
before, so I was really excited. I was
just like a little child that opened

gifts, the ‘gift’ of getting to know
new people, traditions, languages

and much more.

Personally, I travelled with my
new international friends three days.

We went to Maramureș Village
Museum, Săpânța Merry Cemetery,
Săpânța-Peri and Bârsana Monaste-


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It was a wonderful experience first
of all because everyone was really
happy to meet other people and we
were all hyped and secondly I think
this experience helped us see how
people perceived Romania and its
citizens. Many of our guests had
never been to Romania before but
they had heard a few things about us.

Spending time together helped us
understand that in fact we are not so
different.




































At a point we felt like we knew
each other for a long time and we
were just like classmates on a trip
which was really interesting. Even
though, since that day some
considerable time had passed, we
still keep in touch, we send photos
and we write messages to each other.











17

After spending five days in our
town I can surely say that they were
amazed by the beauty of our
mountains and the complexity of our
culture and architecture of our old
historical buildings. We can be
proud of the citizens of Borsa
because everywhere we went our
guests were kindly received and they
were also thankful for their nice
welcoming.










































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This project helped us understand
that diversity can be embraced and

in the end make us unified.
























































Moreover I can say that the

students and teachers from those
countries were enthusiastic about the

new things they were discovering.

While they were learning about
our culture and history we were also

taught lessons about their way of
living, customs and traditions.


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We had such a great time together
and even the weather during those

five days was on our side. All those
involved in project hope that we will
have the chance to meet again and
recreate everlasting memories.


























As I already mentioned, we felt
like friends and somehow connected
through all the fun activities we

carried out together.



































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I want to end my article by
thanking every teacher, every
student, every institution of every

country and city that participated in
this project, because they really gave
me a new way of thinking, and

helped me understand that we should
be open to diversity.

























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Montefiascone – the paradise which we already knew was a great

of tourists tourist destination for the average
European citizen. Then, tired, we
Italy was the fourth host country went to sleep dreaming about the

in the Erasmus project that received days to come.
guests from France and Romania
while the other two countries, Spain
and Iceland, participated online. The
Romanian team landed on the airport
in Rome on a windy 9th of January
day.
The bus awaited us to take the
team to Montefiascone. Although we
were tired, we couldn’t stop
admiring the views and we were
looking forward to meeting our new
friends.
Montefiascone is a town on a hill
on the southeast side of Lake
Bolsena somewhere in the centre of
Italy. Here one can visit many
beautiful buildings and one them is
Falisci church which is one of the
most important churches in the area,
and has one of the largest domes in
Italy, in Lazio Rome.



























After we arrived and settled in,
we decided to take a stroll in the city



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The first day in Montefiascone
was extremely exciting. We walked
freely for a few hours around the city
and we had the chance to see the
famous Church of Santa Margherita.
Montefiascone Cathedral or the
Basilica of Santa Margherita is a
former Roman Catholic cathedral in
Montefiascone in the province of
Viterbo, Italy, dedicated to Saint
Margaret of Antioch, the patron saint
of the town. It is one of the most
important churches in the area.
The church of Santa Margherita
was something we never expected to

see and spiritually feel. Our churches
are really colourful and very

different. But this one was so full of
grace and nobility, every statue told
the story of an angel. All the After we met with the rest of the
paintings and the architecture group at their High school, we

express the majesty where your spirit headed for the next stop, Lake
connects to the body, the nature, the Bolsena. This lake is of volcanic and
sky, the whole self. tectonic origin and is the largest
volcanic lake in Europe.



23

The trip to the Bolsena Lake was
a challenge for some of us and just a
stroll for others. But what awaited us
at the end was worth everything. The
landscape was breath-taking. We
even saw some ducklings swimming
and diving into the lake. We took
pictures, joking and laughing along
the way, having nice conversations
about contradictory subjects and
making fun of "How are you not
tired?! - How are you even tired?!"
questions.








Due to the closure of the High

school, our schedule was thrown out
the door and we had to improvise a
little bit. In the evening we had

dinner and we had some nice
interactive activities with our
international friends, then we had

some much needed sleep.
On the second day, we visited
the Monte Rufeno Nature Reserve,
which safeguards wide woods in a

hilly landscape where the river
Paglia runs. The Reserve, thanks to
its particular geographical position,

houses very rich flora and fauna
characterized by very rare species.














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One of our favourite places was
the Bosco del Sasseto, which was
our next destination. The dreamy
vibe of the forest and all the big
boulders full of moss made us feel

like in a fairy-tale. We were all
paying attention to any movement,
hoping to see a troll, a little fairy or
an animal. We were all the main
characters of our own story that met
in one beautiful novel of our
memorable trip to Italy. Built at the
foot of the Torre Alfina Castle, in
the heart of Tuscia, Sasseto Wood is
a protected area included in the 20
most enchanted places in Italy and it
has been named by the National
Geographic Channel, the “wood of
Whitesnow”.





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Rich with biodiversity and

ancient trees, this wood is an
incredible sight for all those who

come to visit it. In this very place the
nature takes over the landscape and
the time seems to pause. The twisted
branches, the evocative shaped

trunks of the centuries old trees, the
mosses and lichens cover the
fragments of igneous rocks. You can

get distracted by the beauty and get
lost in the maze of trails, finding
yourself falling in a daydream.

The Tomb of Edoardo Cahen
was a surprise we never expected to
see in the forest. The history of it

was really interesting and it was a
shock to find out that the buried man
was mummified and later on
discovered by some teenagers.




















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Viterbo's botanical garden called
Orto Botanico ”Angelo Rambelli” is

intertwines science, museum,
university studies, all in one. You
can get glimpses of the plants, but
also learn about the unique

ecosystem, the calcareous soil and
mineral waters, the flow that creates
ponds and channels and crafts from

plants grown there.


























































27

We had dinner in a local restaurant

for young adults and it is here we
tried the original recipes of pizza,
pasta and traditional desserts.
Our day was extraordinary, the

only sorrow being the fact that ended
so quickly, but we knew that the

adventure was not over and the
following day was awaiting with
other marvellous things to see.
The next day our schedule

included a visit to the Oasi Naturale
Saline Di Tarquinia. Located close
to the ancient port of Gravisca (now

Porto Clementino), the Saline di
Tarquinia Nature Reserve is a
natural site of extreme importance

spread over about 150 hectares, of
which 100 are coastal lagoons. The
reserve welcomes and protects many

species of migratory and sedentary
avifauna, including a prominent
place for the beautiful pink
flamingos, permanent "guests" of the

reserve and the main attraction for
photographers and bird watchers.







28

Italy is a magnificent country and
there are a lot to see.

Our international friends helped
us better understand their culture and
history and for us it was a great

opportunity to learn so many things
from them.





















On the third day of our stay, we
visited the Tarquinia National

Museum, which is an archaeological
museum dedicated to the Etruscan
civilization. There we have admired
the collection of artefacts which

were excavated from the Necropolis
of Montezzozi.

Next we walked on the streets
and admired the architecture of
modern and old buildings until we
reached to the place where the

Palazzo Vitelleschi was built. The
Palazzo Vitelleschi has three floors.
On the ground floor you can see the

famous sarcophagi and other stone
artefacts from the middle of the
fourth century BC which are

exhibited in chronological order.





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We walked for hours but the

sights we admired worth every
effort. Our journey came to an end
very quickly but we will never forget

what we had seen and the people we
had met on our way.


We had a really great time in

Montefiascone. We had fun, we got
tired of walking, we started to know
the city and by the end of the week

we even felt like we were in our
hometown, although we were new

there we felt like we grew up over
there, because of the friendly people,
the affectionate teachers, students
and the way the city made us feel.




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And other photos….















































































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A week in the Mediterranean

paradise

Monday was the first day of our

amazing experience in Spain. We
met all the students from Spain,
France, Iceland and Italy and we

were just so excited and curious
about everything. Then, the
LAMNA Association showed us the

reality of fishing and how sharks had
to move from their home because we
invade their sea. We couldn’t watch

all the videos because they were
quite unnerving and unpleasant.
After this, we started a short trip to

Sagunto's Town Hall. We were
welcomed there with open arms by
the mayor and he gave a well
thought-out speech.









































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The pick point of the day was the
boat ride to Port del Saler while
watching the sunset. We even had

the chance to see a flock of birds fly
right above us, an opportunity to
take a lot of pictures. The boatman

was really nice and we had so much

fun talking with him. The day ended
when we arrived at the hostel, but it

was just the start of the beautiful
memories that we will cherish
forever.






































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Tuesday was one of my favorite
days in Moraira. After breakfast we

headed to the Falla del Moraig. The
trip along the coast was spectacular.
We enjoyed every part of it and the

bus trip was really fun.

We had lunch on the beach and

we were impressed by the generosity
and friendliness of so many
strangers. We had some free time to

explore the city of Moraira and we
discovered beautiful sights. In the
evening we returned to the hostel
where we had dinner and prepared
our luggage for the return to

Sagunto.









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People in Spain are very

sociable. We had the opportunity to
go boating in Denia Bay and to

understand how people take care of
the bay. We managed to make

friends with the guides and other
children from other countries (we

also ate mandarins offered by the
captain).

In addition, on Wednesday we

walked by the sea. In continuation,

we were taken to the port, where we
were explained both the process of
In Spain all the days were catching, as well as the weighing,
beautiful, sunny and the whole week cleaning and other processes that
itself was a total success, but the different species of fish go through.
sunniest day was Wednesday -16
We understood how much work is
February- and I will tell you why.
behind the preparation of it for
selling.








35

Valencia is a special city. In the
afternoon we had the pleasure of

visiting the Prince Felipe Science
Museum, which seemingly took us
inside the whale in Pinocchio's story.

The museum is the perfect place for
science enthusiasts. On the first floor
we could admire interactive science
exhibitions, where we had the

opportunity to experiment and
discover that science can bring fun

into the equation through numerous
exhibitions.

In the evening, we enjoyed a

walk through wonderful Valencia
and we did some shopping.




























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Mountain (Romeu Hill), which was
a little bit tiring, yet still fun! The

view from the top of the mountain
was spectacular and the hot weather
gave the whole trip a certain feeling.
After that, we went back to Sagunto

to eat paella, which was absolutely
delicious. Last but not least, we went
to Playa del Almarada.




































In the evening, we went back to
the school to attend a performance of
Cuidem Gaia. The performance had

a powerful message and easily made
all of us emotional. It was indeed
phenomenal. When we finished the

program, we went to a park together.
Each one of us, youngsters and

adults alike, had a swell time there.
We talked, we laughed a lot, but the
For all of us, Thursday was
amazing! In the beginning of the realization that the end of our
day, we went hiking on Faura adventure will suffice tomorrow
saddened us.



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Friday was the last day, sadly.

The whole day was in regards to the
history of the city. We walked and

walked and walked some more until
we reached the city’s guardian, a
fortress up on a hill. On the way to
it, we visited the historical museum

and the large amphitheater, which
dates back to Roman times. It served
as a stage for the performances of

students in the city.

After all these adventures, we

went to the place where we all met,
where this beautiful experience
started the school. Like the
Romanian novel “The Mill of Good

Luck”, we ended the story where we
started, in a symbolic, revealing and

circular way.


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PROJECT PARTNER SCHOOLS


Lycée Pablo Picasso


Flensborgarskóli



IES Clot del Moro


Istituto Istruzione Scolastica Superiore "Carlo Alberto Dalla
Chiesa"



Liceul Borșa





ROMANIAN TEAM



STUDENTS : Alina Mureșan, Beatrix Ferencz, Bianca

Stetco, Amalia Tomoiaga, Livia Stetco, Amalia Stetco,

Giulia Timis, Laura Timis, Romina Hantig, Alexandra

Roman, Bianca Timis, Alesia Grec, Andreia Timis,

Anamaria Falcusan, Gabriella Danci, Alexandru Horgos, Alex


Mihali, Denis Tomoiaga and Federico Timis.


Teachers: Cristina Timis, Adriana Mihali, Dorina Coman,

Gabriela Tomoiaga, Sava Bota and Gavrila Mihali.

EDIȚIA