The 24-hour event called “BioBlitz” was organized by the Institute for Nature Conservation and the office of the Slovenian National Commission for UNESCO in cooperation with the Municipality of Veržej and took place in Veržej on June, 12th & 13th 2015.

The motto of the event was 24 hours with the Mura River, which meant 24 hours of exploring biodiversity, nature and culture along the Mura River. WWF, as well as more than 80 other experts in nature and conservation prepared various activities for children and young adults to find out more about the Mura and its biodiversity.

Creative workshops, guided walks research, field surveys, lectures, documentaries and exhibitions in nature for all generations were part of the programme, as well as the WWF river tent, where the kids had the chance to test their knowledge on river habitats and the species that live there, as well as learning about the UNESCO Transboundary Biosphere Reserve “Mura-Drava-Danube”.

The event aimed at enabling the children to learn about biodiversity in general, as well as about the Mura River in particular. It was evident that the children had a very enjoyable time learning about their beautiful river and nature. Educating young people about the importance of nature conservation is key to preserve ecosystems for future generations and events like “BioBlitz” are a great tool to do so. Due to the success of the event, the planning for “BioBlitz” has already started.