Contents

The course content is organised into five thematic blocks: one introductory cross-cutting block and four blocks focusing on different practical applications of botany.

Block 1. Introduction to Applied Botany

Coordinator: Álvaro Fernández-Llamazares

This block provides an overview of applied botany and its different fields of application. It introduces a range of case studies illustrating how botanical knowledge has been mobilised to contribute to the conservation of plants, algae, and fungi while promoting their sustainable uses and applications. The block also reviews the current state of global knowledge on plants, algae, and fungi, including patterns in the discovery of new species, the major threats they face, and the methodological tools used to study them. Finally, students will be introduced to some of the main career opportunities in the field of applied botany.

Lectures: 2 hours

Block 2. Ethnobotany

Coordinator: Álvaro Fernández-Llamazares

This block introduces the theoretical and methodological foundations of ethnobotany, the scientific discipline that studies the uses and properties of plants, algae, and fungi, as well as their social, cultural, and spiritual significance in societies around the world. Case studies on traditional knowledge of plants, algae, and fungi in Catalonia will be presented, together with examples of the use of sacred plants in Indigenous societies. The concept of biocultural diversity will be introduced to illustrate how plants, algae, and fungi constitute an integral part of our cultural heritage. The block will also examine the concept of plant blindness, defined as the inability to perceive, appreciate, or interact with the plants that surround us and to recognise their fundamental contributions to human well-being. In addition, students will explore the origins of agriculture and the major centres of domestication and diversification of cultivated plants. Particular attention will be paid to the dynamic relationships between people and plants, not only from the perspective of knowledge systems but also through their identity-forming and psychological dimensions. Finally, several case studies on wild edible plants and the recovery of traditional crop varieties will be presented.

Lectures: 6 hours

Field trip: Visit to the Eixarcolant Collective (5 hours)

During this field trip, students will visit the Eixarcolant Collective, a non-profit organisation that promotes the recovery, and adaptation to contemporary contexts, of traditional uses of wild edible plant species and heritage crop varieties as a means of fostering a more sustainable, healthy, and equitable agri-food system. The visit will focus on wild edible plants, with particular emphasis on their culinary uses and preparation.

Seminar: Applied Ethnobotany and Crop Diversity (1 hour)

This seminar, delivered by Dr Laura Calvet-Mir (Institut Metròpoli), an environmental scientist and ethnobotanist, will present a range of case studies on the recovery of traditional crop varieties, including seed exchange networks, plant exchange fairs, and scientific assessments of the conservation status of local crop varieties cultivated in the kitchen gardens of the Catalan Pyrenees.

Block 3. Habitat Assessment and Ecological Restoration

Coordinator: Ferran Pauné

This block introduces the fundamental concepts and methods used to assess environmental quality and ecosystem condition through the interpretation of flora and vegetation. Students will become familiar with concepts such as indicator species and plant community assemblages. Different techniques for sampling flora and vegetation will be presented, together with approaches for deriving ecological indicators from different sampling designs. Particular emphasis will be placed on the ecological processes underpinning these indicators, especially species interactions and disturbance dynamics. The block will conclude with case studies illustrating how vegetation-based assessments have contributed to understanding habitat change and informing conservation management, ecological restoration, wildfire prevention, and climate change mitigation.

Lectures: 6 hours

Field trip: Visit to the Congost River Valley (5 hours)

This field trip will provide students with an overview of practical projects and protocols for assessing natural environments using indicator plant species, as well as examples of ecological restoration initiatives. The visit will be led by Aprèn Serveis Ambientals, an environmental consultancy specialising in environmental assessment, management, and outreach. Students will explore the use of vegetation for environmental improvement and nature-based engineering (bioengineering) techniques. Several natural areas in the Congost River Valley (including El Figaró and La Garriga) will be visited, where the company has implemented ecological restoration projects over recent years.

Seminar: Marine Algae: Ecological Functions and Applications in Marine Ecosystems (2 hours)

This seminar, delivered by marine taxonomist and naturalist Xavier Salvador (Institute of Marine Sciences), will examine the ecological role of marine algae, including both phytoplankton and multicellular algae, as the primary producers of marine ecosystems. Topics will include their role as bioindicators, their contribution to nutrient cycling and oxygen production, and their structural importance in coastal ecosystems. The seminar will also present several ecological restoration projects in marine environments, particularly those involving red and brown algae.

Block 4. Conservation of Plants, Algae, and Fungi

Coordinator: Llorenç Sáez

This block provides an overview of current conservation efforts aimed at reversing the global decline of plant, algal, and fungal diversity. Students will review the principal regulations governing the collection of plants, algae, and fungi and discuss ethical issues associated with harvesting protected endemic medicinal plants and the commercial collection of wild mushrooms. Finally, the block introduces the main legal frameworks for the protection of threatened plant species and reviews the criteria and mechanisms used to classify species according to their risk of extinction.

Lectures: 8 hours

Seminar: Plant Communities as a Tool for Assessing Habitat Conservation Status (2 hours)

In this seminar, botanist and river ecosystem management specialist Andreu Salvat (Aprèn Serveis Ambientals) will present a series of protocols and practical case studies drawn from his professional experience, illustrating how plant communities can be used as bioindicators to assess the conservation status of grasslands, river channels, riparian forests, and old-growth forests.

Field trip: Visit to the Botanical Garden and the Botanical Institute of Barcelona (5 hours)

Students will participate in a guided visit led by the technical and scientific staff of the Botanical Institute of Barcelona (IBB). The visit will include the Botanical Garden collections, the IBB Herbarium (the largest herbarium in Catalonia), the Salvador Cabinet (one of the few surviving Enlightenment-era natural history collections), and the Germplasm Bank (a genetic resource collection containing more than 3,000 accessions). Students will also learn about some of the research projects, scientific programmes, and botanical survey initiatives currently being conducted at Catalonia's leading botanical research institution.

Computer practical: Biodiversity Databases (3 hours)

This computer-based practical session introduces students to the main biodiversity databases available both in Catalonia and internationally, together with their application in estimating species extinction risk according to IUCN criteria using the RAMAS Red List software.

Block 5. Applications of Plants, Algae, and Fungi in Human Health and as Indicators of Climate Change

Coordinator: Jordina Belmonte

This block provides an introduction to the applications of plants, algae, and fungi in human health. Students will gain an overview of plant-derived bioactive compounds (including toxins, poisons, biocides, and psychoactive substances) and their pharmacological applications. The block will also introduce palynology, with particular emphasis on aerobiology and its contribution to the study of respiratory allergies and the phenology of wind-pollinated plants and fungi. Finally, students will explore the concept of urban greening and its importance for public health and the renaturalisation of increasingly urbanised municipalities.

Lectures: 6 hours

Laboratory practical: Visit to the UAB Palynological Analysis Laboratory (2 hours)

Students will visit the laboratory together with its technical staff, who will present the research carried out on pollen and spore analysis. The visit will include an introduction to the laboratory's main facilities, including the pollen reference collection (palynotheca), pollen, spore, and sporopollenin protein samplers used in aerobiological monitoring, and the equipment employed to extract pollen and spores from materials such as honey (for quality control), terrestrial sediments, and archaeological deposits, which are used to reconstruct past climates, vegetation dynamics, and human–environment interactions.