Faculty of Science and Technology of the University of Coimbra (FCTUC) launches FITCount application with Portuguese version

Interested citizens can now take part in collecting new data on the number and diversity of pollinating insects that visit flowers in Portugal. With the Portuguese version of the FITCount application (https://www.pollinet.pt/fitcount) launched by the University of Coimbra, civil society will be able to help monitor plant-pollinator interactions.

The initiative is part of the project PolinizAÇÃO - Action Plan for the Conservation and Sustainability of Pollinators (Home | Polli.NET) coordinated by Sílvia Castro and João Loureiro, both lecturers and researchers at the Functional Ecology Centre (CFE) of the Department of Life Sciences (DCV) at FCTUC. The main aim of the project is to identify concrete actions to improve knowledge and conservation of pollinating insects at a national level, to combat the causes of their decline and to mobilise and raise awareness in society, based on strategic planning and cooperation at all levels.

The FITCount app was created by the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, with technical development by Flumens as part of the UK Pollinator Monitoring Scheme.
By collaborating in this project, citizens will provide only a few pieces of information about the type of habitat in which they carried out the count, the number and type of target flower, the weather conditions and the percentage of flowers. This information will help scientists interpret the information gathered by the participants.

The FITCount app is now available for free download from the Google Play Store for Android devices and the App Store for iOS devices (iPhone/iPad). For more information on how to participate and use the app, please visit https://www.pollinet.pt/fitcount.