Under the Heat of Knowledge: Lessons from the HUMANITA Summer School
From amphibian disease monitoring to citizen-led conservation: the HUMANITA Summer School showcased effective monitoring techniques and practical solutions to mitigate tourism’s environmental impacts.
Photo credit: Urosh Grabner
Can tourism be a force for good in conservation? The question is far from new, but it is increasingly urgent. As more people travel to experience pristine landscapes, the very desire to explore the natural world threatens the ecosystems that make it worth visiting. Invasive species, footpath erosion and wildlife disruption are just a few ways in which tourism can damage the environments it depends on. Finding a balance between access and preservation is a policy-making challenge — a dilemma that the HUMANITA project was designed to address.
As such, between 14 and 17 July, students from across Central Europe gathered in Villach, Austria for the HUMANITA Summer School, organised with support from CEEweb for Biodiversity and the Bükk National Park Directorate (BNPD). Throughout the four days, fieldwork and lectures helped participants explore both overarching strategies and on-the-ground techniques for sustainable tourism and nature protection.
What jumps beneath the surface?
As part of the field days, students did not just admire the scenery but were looking for something specific — amphibians. With guidance from BNPD and CEEweb experts, they practiced wildlife monitoring techniques, focusing on species such as alpine newts (Ichthyosaura alpestris), smooth newts (Lissotriton vulgaris), and the common toad (Bufo bufo).
This identification has an important purpose. Using sterile swabs, students collected skin samples to test for pathogens like Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) and Ranavirus — two of the most dangerous threats to amphibian populations worldwide. Bd alone is responsible for the extinction of more than 90 species; Ranavirus, meanwhile, has caused population crashes of up to 85% in the United Kingdom’s common frog populations.
Back in the lab, the samples were processed using RT-PCR (Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction), a method that allows researchers to detect even trace levels of viral DNA. Fortunately, the results showed no presence of Bd in the sampled populations. The real lesson, nevertheless, was not just about the absence of disease, but about equipping a new generation with the tools to find answers.
You can do it!
Another major theme running through the programme was the role of citizen science. Can the average person with a smartphone help monitor environmental threats? The answer, it turns out, is yes — and on a surprising scale.
The summer school introduced tools like iNaturalist and the Hulladékradar app (“Waste Radar”), a Hungarian platform that allows citizens to report illegal waste dumps. Introduced by the Hungarian Ministry of Energy, this initiative has already led to the removal of over 580 000 tons of litter. Not only do users help clean up their local environment — they also generate valuable data.
Analysis of the Hulladékradar database reveals patterns, such as the clustering of illegal dump sites near roads, linking land use to human movement. Students learned how this kind of grassroots reporting can expand the capacity of official monitoring and inform more responsive policies.
From Classroom to Conservation
What made the HUMANITA Summer School unique was not just its content — it was the way theory and practice fed into each other. Students did not just hear about ecosystem pressures; they witnessed them. They did not just hear about the potential of public participation; they used the apps and contributed data themselves.
By the end of the course, participants had explored techniques ranging from expert technologies to citizen science, from biological to abiotic indicators. More importantly, they saw how these pieces connect.
Part of a broader set of actions under the HUMANITA (“Human-Nature Interactions and Tourism Impacts in Protected Areas of Central Europe”) project, funded by the Interreg CENTRAL EUROPE programme, the HUMANITA Summer School offered an introduction to sustainable tourism. Protecting nature is more than species monitoring and data reporting but involves critically thinking about our role within a protected area. Landscapes are not just destinations but places we are responsible for stewarding.
