Ubaté stands out in global biodiversity challenge

The Ubaté branch of the University of Ubaté achieved fifth place nationally in the 2026 City Nature Challenge, a global citizen science event that brought together hundreds of cities worldwide to record and document the biodiversity present in their territories. This result strengthened the partnership between the institution and the Flores Ubaté company, which recognized the University's commitment to the conservation of the region's natural heritage.

The City Nature Challenge aimed to motivate citizens, educational institutions, and organizations to photograph and record flora and fauna species using citizen science platforms. The collected data contributes to the understanding of local biodiversity and allows participating cities to be ranked internationally for species observation.

The collaboration between the University of Cundinamarca and Flores Ubaté arose from the efforts of the Environmental Management System at the Ubaté branch, which facilitated a connection between the two institutions to establish a working group led by the Animal Science program. This partnership led to the recruitment of students interested in environmental conservation and encouraged their active participation in the event.

Representing the Ubaté branch, 25 first- and third-semester students from the program participated in observation and recording tours across various ecosystems in the municipality. During the activity, they documented a wide diversity of flora and fauna, including bumblebees, European honeybees, mayates (a type of plant), hart's-tongue, aceitilla (a type of plant), sangregado (a type of plant), tree tomatoes, fig trees, papayuela (a type of plant), and pumpkins, as well as birds such as the great golden-billed oriole, mountain troupial, common mockingbird, white-winged siskin, crested flycatcher, red-eyed vireo, and hawks.

The result obtained was mainly due to the biological richness of the territory and the sampling effort carried out by students and teachers, who dedicated several days to identifying, photographing and recording the observed species.

In this process, the support of the Knowledge and Learning Managers Luis Eduardo Sánchez, Fabián Moreno and Natali Ximena Sánchez Garzón was fundamental, who promoted the participation of the university community, guided the field activities and shared knowledge for the correct identification of the recorded species.

For the University of Cundinamarca, this recognition represents the strengthening of a strategic alliance with Flores Ubaté and reaffirms the institutional commitment to the conservation of local biodiversity, research and the social appropriation of knowledge.

The experience also provided important lessons for students and Knowledge and Learning Managers, who expanded their knowledge of the municipality's natural wealth and strengthened collaborative work with the community, demonstrating that citizen science is an effective tool for promoting environmental stewardship.

The Ubaté branch's participation does not end with this recognition. The Animal Science program will continue promoting initiatives such as the Global Big Day, dedicated to birdwatching, and is also preparing for participation in future editions of the City Nature Challenge, with the aim of further consolidating a culture of conservation and community involvement in the region.

More news from the Ubaté branch at the News Agency