Prenestino Bioblitz

A weekend to map the biodiversity of the Prenestini Mountains

The Prenestino Bioblitz is a citizen science event that turns an entire weekend into a grand biodiversity hunt. For twenty-four consecutive hours, from 6:00 PM on Saturday to 6:00 PM on Sunday, researchers, naturalists, and volunteers trek together along the trails of the Monte Guadagnolo Special Area of Conservation (SAC), in the heart of the Prenestini Mountains, to observe, photograph, and catalog as many animal and plant species as possible. The initiative takes place in the municipality of Capranica Prenestina and the village of Guadagnolo, the highest settlement in the Lazio region, in the province of Rome.

What is a bioblitz?

A bioblitz is an intensive, participatory naturalistic survey: experts from various disciplines lead small thematic groups to discover amphibians, reptiles, birds, mammals, insects, land mollusks, lichens, and plants. Each observation is documented and uploaded to the iNaturalist platform, contributing to the scientific knowledge of the territory and the National Biodiversity Network project. You don't need to be an expert: the format is designed so that everyone, from families to the simply curious, can make a real contribution to research.

Environments and species of the Monte Guadagnolo SAC

The territory of Monte Guadagnolo offers an extraordinary variety of habitats concentrated within a few kilometers: ancient beech forests, high-altitude meadows, and imposing rocky cliffs that host flora and fauna of great value. During the bioblitz, participants divide into day and night shifts: by day, the focus is on insects, plants, birds, and lichens; by night, the focus shifts to bats, nocturnal insects, and owls, identified by their calls.

The 2026 edition program

The 2026 edition is part of the "25 Years Together for Biodiversity" program, with which the Civic Naturalistic Museum of the Prenestini Mountains celebrates its twenty-fifth anniversary. The weekend opens on Saturday with the conference "Biodiversity and Cultural Landscape: knowledge and coexistence in the inhabited mountains," dedicated to the protection and enhancement of the territory's environmental heritage; in the evening, the actual bioblitz begins, continuing non-stop until the following day. The CREA Laboratory coordinates the entomological monitoring, with a specific focus on wood-boring insects and diurnal butterflies.

A shared scientific project

The Prenestino Bioblitz was born from the collaboration between the Civic Naturalistic Museum of the Prenestini Mountains, CREA, ISPRA, and the National Biodiversity Network. The data collected does not only have educational value: it feeds official databases and environmental monitoring tools, helping to better understand and protect a highly valuable protected area just a stone's throw from the Capital. It is a precious opportunity to experience the Prenestini Mountains in an active and conscious way, combining hiking, science, and a love for nature.