Last week, the second in-person Steering Committee meeting of the TEAM#UP project was held in Budweis, Czech Republic. During the meeting, updates on progress and future steps in the respective WPs and a real-time tutorial on creating virtual documentation were presented. The presentations stimulated fruitful, although short, discussions that can be further developed in future meetings of the respective WPs.

The participants of the meeting had the opportunity to visit two field excursions. The first one was a visit to the Faculty garden on the campus of the Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia. The Faculty garden was intended to be a parking lot but was turned into a space for wildlife, education and relaxation. It is composed of several habitats including meadows, a pond, and a sand dune.

During the bus excursion, participants could enjoy the southern Bohemian landscape full of fish ponds, and learn a bit about the history of the region from our guide Karel Prach. They first visited a National Nature Reserve Červené Blato, a forested bog that has been undergoing natural regeneration for over a century. The largest population of bog pine can be found there. The second stop was at the Nature Monument Dračice sand pit that has been undergoing natural regeneration for over 30 years. This sand pit is interesting and important for geomorphological structures and outcrops and hosts a number of rare and endangered species.

The meeting was successful and inspiring; it highlighted all the great progress the project has made so far and the activities and achievements we are moving toward!