This year the Ecoflor fieldtrip will take place in the area of Urdaibai, a Biosphere Reserve established in 1984 and a Ramsar site since 1992. Urdaibai spreads around the estuary of the río Oka (http://www.urdaibai.org/eu/portada.php) . It comprises the whole watershed of this river, with 220 km² of protected lands and waters. Its natural values concentrate around its wide salt marshlands and sand dunes and an abundance of Cantabrian holm oak forests, which still thrive on the limestone hills surrounding the estuary.
 During this trip, we will have the opportunity to visit a representation of the sand dune and marshland ecosystems of San Cristobal, as well as a couple of examples of restoration activities that are taking place in the lowland forests of the Reserve, carried out by Lurgaia Foundation (https://www.lurgaia.org) at Amunategi stream and mount Unda.
 The sandy area of San Cristobal has a human origin but has been successfully colonized by dune-dwellers of the region. We will see species such as Calystegia soldanella, Medicago littoralis, Helichrysum stoechas, Lagurus ovatus, Juncus acutus, Plantago coronopus, Andryala integrifolia…, and the actual pressure that several invasive species (Conyza canadensis, Sporobolus indicus, Baccharis halimifolia, Robinia pseudoacacia...) exert on this ecosystem (https://www.urdaibai.org/es/ingurumena/behatokia.php). 
The Amunategi stream is a remarkable example of a lowland stream of this region, due to its presence of the European vison and its relevance for the conservation of the Iberian frog. From a botanical point of view, its riverbank corresponds to a priority alder forest and comprises interesting populations of paleotropical ferns (Woodwardia radicans) and other protected species, such as Ophioglossum vulgatum (http://www.lurgaia.org/pag.php?id=13&pag=amunategi). Here, we will visit an old restoration project which used a set of 30 tree and shrub native species as the basis for recovering the original vegetation of the hillside of the Amunategi watershed.
 In our way back to Bilbao, we will stop at mount Unda, where the same restoration techniques are being used nowadays to treat a hillside affected by forest plantations.

Trip schedule
09:00 – 10:00 Travel from Bilbao to San Cristobal
10:00 – 11:30 Visit the San Cristobal sandy area and salt marshes
11:30 – 12:00 Hamaiketako (Light lunch)
12:00 – 12:10 Travel from San Cristobal to Amunategi stream
12:10 – 13:30 Visit Amunategi stream
13:30 – 14:00 Travel from Amunategi to mount Unda
14:00 – 14:30 Visit mount Unda
14:30 – 15:00 Return to Bilbao

Route: https://goo.gl/maps/UQatYB11iavdFeu58
You should bring your own snack or light lunch (hamaiketako) with you as well as water and waterproof clothes.