What is Insectarium Virtual ?

Insectarium Virtual, the longest-running Internet journal devoted to the dissemination of entomology (since 1995), is coordinating a biodiversity study project. It consists of an on-line database with input from thousands of users who upload digital photos of  invertebrates and plants and fill in a simple sheet containing important information for scientists. It already has over 39,000 photos and data on biodiversity, essentially about invertebrates and plants (in conjunction they comprise 80% of the planet's biodiversity).

Through Kasbah Itran, we want to build up the Morocco biodiversity bank, and we hope visitors to our website will upload their photos of invertebrates y flora to the project.

We also organize photographic excursions with experts, which we call “Biodiversity testings”, and we hope to organize them in Morocco as well, in collaboration with Kasbah Itran.

How can I take part?

There are two ways:
1.- Make use of your stay in Morocco to take photos of invertebrates and plants, and upload them to the Virtual Insectarium database. If one of the main aims of your trip is to take part in the project, you will be helped by Kasbah Itran in the form of a 10% discount on your accommodation and a 5% discount on activities.

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The importance of the project

Morocco is part of the Mediterranean arco, one of areas that  contains our planet's greatest biodiversity, including the Atlas Mountains, an authentic Hotspot where a large proportion of the word's unique organisms live. Knowing which species there are and where they live is the first step in the direction of good conservation planning.

Useful recommendations

1.- Download the manual in PDF format.
2.- If you have a GPS, note down the coordinates where the photos were taken and pinpoint them on Google Earth for their accurate input to the database.
3.- If you don't have a GPS, print a Google Earthmap of the area you plan to visit and try to identify the location of your photos “on the ground”.

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