A BioBlitz, also written without capitals as bioblitz, is an intense period of biological surveying in an attempt to record all the living species within a designated area. Groups of scientists, naturalists and volunteers conduct an intensive field study over a continuous time period (e.g., usually 24 hours). There is a public component to many BioBlitzes, with the goal of getting the public interested in biodiversity. To encourage more public participation, these BioBlitzes are often held in urban parks or nature reserves close to cities

In this year Seoul City Holds “BioBlitz Korea” Jointly with Korea Forest Service and National Arboretum. The event was highly acclaimed as giving motivations to children to be interested in the nature and the environment while raising awareness on bio-diversity conservation.

How many plant and animal species live in Seoul’s forests? The fifth bio-diversity exploration event was held last weekend. I participated in this year.

Bioblitz 2014 Seoul held a 24-hour “BioBlitz” from 2 pm on June 14 (Saturday) to 2 pm the next day in Seoul Forest in eastern Seoul, with the nation’s best scientists as well as families, students, and teachers on the lookout for as-yet-undiscovered life forms.

Started in 1996 in national parks in the United States, Australia, Canada, and Britain, BioBlitz is a 24-hour event in which teams of volunteers work together to find and identify as many species of plants, animals, microbes, fungi, and other organisms as possible.

The event was highly acclaimed as giving motivations to children to be interested in the nature and the environment while raising awareness on bio-diversity conservation.

Until now most BioBlitz events were held in National Arboretum candidate sites and recreational forests outside Seoul. This year the organizers decided to hold the event within the city in order to commemorate the 12th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity in Pyeongchang (October 6-17, 2014).

This year’s event included programs such as walk with experts and discussions about sustaining bio-diversity in which anyone interested in the topic can participate. Seoul Forest was created in a 115-hectare site in the former Ttukseom Resort along the Han River, which includes the cultural park, the ecological forest, the nature experience center, and the wetland ecological center.

We took a walk through the 8 courses sorted by different species like fungi, plants, trees, insects, butterflies, animals and so on.