Residents of Southern Odesa Region Invited to Join International Scientific Project

The Danube Delta Living Open Lab has launched a new citizen science program. Organizers announced the initiative on their Facebook page, according to Pivden Siohodni.

The lab is open to everyone who wishes to contribute to science and the well-being of the region. Its activities are based on the principles of open science.

Focus on the Danube and the Black Sea

While the Danube Delta is the main area of research, the initiative welcomes participants interested in the nature of Ukraine, Romania, Moldova, and the Black Sea coast.

“We collect data about living organisms – animals, plants, fungi – in rivers, seas, shores, steppes, villages, and cities. The goal is to understand where native species live, where invasive species occur, and how they interact with local ecosystems. Photograph everything alive that you see in nature (except in your own gardens) and upload it to the European online platform MINKA, under the project ‘Danube Delta Living Open Lab’,” the organizers explain.

How to take part

• Simply upload an original photo; the date and location will be added automatically if your device location is enabled (or you can add them manually).
• Participants can use either the web version or the mobile app.
• The web platform is already available in Ukrainian, and the mobile app will soon also support the language.

Why it matters

All collected data will first be analyzed by Ukrainian biologists, with proper credit given to contributors. Later, with the authors’ consent, the information will be uploaded to the global biodiversity repository GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility).