The Science Museum of the University of Navarra has organized an informative exhibition on invasive alien species, with the aim of disseminating the impact that these species have on ecosystems. The aim of this exhibition is to give continuity to the scientific dissemination activities planned by the Science Museum within the framework of Science Week.

The exhibition brings together 21 information panels that show the characteristics of the main aquatic invasive alien species of the Iberian Peninsula, where they are found, and the real impact they have on the environment.

"In the exhibition we place special emphasis on those species that cause major problems in Navarre. The proliferation of sport fishing of species such as, for example, European perch, catfish or pike, with serious impacts on aquatic ecosystems, are one of the major problems that we can find in the region," says Rafael Miranda, professor at the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Navarra and responsible as a partner of the LIFE INVASAQUA project.

This exhibition is supported by the LIFE INVASAQUA project, a project whose main objective is to support communication and training on Aquatic Invasive Alien Species in Spain and Portugal.

"The aim is to raise awareness of the problem of these species in our territory in order to sensitize the general public, and to offer simple tools to help us combat their expansion," says Professor Miranda.

The exhibition will be on display at the Science Building of the University of Navarra throughout the month of December from Monday to Friday from 9 am to 8 pm and Saturdays from 9 am to 1.30 pm.

Species that impact the environment and have repercussions on the economy

According to Professor Miranda, invasive species create a significant environmental and economic impact in the areas where they live and, for this reason, it is very important to make society aware of the damage caused by these species. "There are many studies that tell us how invasive alien species affect the biodiversity of the planet. There are other studies that show us that if biodiversity is not doing well, we are not doing well. In addition to the damage to the environment, it is beginning to seriously affect our wallets. A clear example of this is the zebra mussel".

For Miranda, it is very important to raise public awareness so that they collaborate in solving this problem: "It is about having a proactive attitude, from alerting the administrations of the presence of one of these species to denouncing the illegal introduction of any of them and even bad practices in the rivers. Citizen collaboration in this context is vital," he concludes.

LIFE INVASAQUA is a governance and communication project in which four universities(University of Murcia, University of Santiago de Compostela, University of Évora and University of Navarra), the EFE Agency, the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the Museum of Natural Sciences of Madrid, the Iberian Society of Ichthyology, and the Associaçao Portuguesa de Educaçao Ambiental (ASPEA) work together. The Fundación Biodiversidad and the Government of Navarra also collaborate.

Callinectes sapidus (Jeremy Thorpe)
Lithobates catesbeianus (Carl D. Howe)
Esox Iucius (Kamiel Kemepeneers)
A Albopictus (James Gathany)