When we think of cities and urban areas, the first images that come to mind are often skyscrapers, flyovers and wide roads. Rarely do people notice the green spaces or urban biodiversity, even though cities are often built upon, and shaped by, these very ecosystems.
In today’s era of climate change and rising heat waves, it’s more important than ever to be conscious of our surroundings and well-informed about the habitats we live in.
And, one important aspect of this is the documentation of biodiversity in a scientific manner through initiatives like citizen science.
This is what an event like City Nature Challenge (CNC) does. It is an event that encourages citizens to go out and document the flora and fauna found mainly in their own backyard.
You can document everything from plants and trees to birds, bees, butterflies, amphibians, reptiles and even mammals — helping us understand our biodiversity in a more scientific way.
WHAT YOU HAVE TO DO
You can document everything from plants and trees to birds, bees, butterflies, amphibians, reptiles and even mammals — helping us understand our biodiversity in a more scientific way.
The City Nature Challenge is a global event, hosted since 2014 by the California Academy of Sciences and the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County.
The City Nature Challenge (CNC) runs from April 25 to 28 this year, with around 206 Indian cities taking part by documenting urban biodiversity via the iNaturalist app.
The registration process is quite simple — just create an iNaturalist account and start documenting observations from your neighbourhood and beyond. Upload your images to get them identified and validated.
In doing so, you'll contribute to building a valuable biodiversity database for your locality and the State.
This is the third year that Goa is participating in the challenge, with WWF-Goa serving as the state coordinator. Last year, Goa ranked 18th with just 843 entries, in contrast to Hyderabad, which secured the top position with 34,399 entries.
To raise awareness and encourage greater participation, WWF-Goa, in collaboration with various groups, organised nature trails across the State as a pre-CNC event.
During these trails, participants had the opportunity to learn about marine biodiversity, birds, insects, and more. The trails were well-received, as they offered a comprehensive introduction to the local biodiversity.
To raise awareness and encourage greater participation, WWF-Goa, in collaboration with various groups, organised nature trails across the State as a pre-CNC event.
For example, the mangrove trail led by botanist Dr Ashish Prabhugaonkar garnered a great response, helping citizens understand the importance of the mangrove ecosystem — a crucial lifeline for coastal regions like Goa.
There were also online sessions with experts, such as ecologist Parag Rangnekar, who conducted a session on the odonates of Goa. He explained how to identify them based on their physical characteristics, coloration, and other distinguishing features.
In addition to the trails and online sessions, WWF-Goa is planning to host more offline events and nature trails during the challenge period.
To encourage participation, they’ve announced prizes across various categories — from school and college students to the general public and senior citizens — for recording the highest number of observations and the most species identified.
Plus, every participant who records at least 50 observations will receive an e-certificate.
So, from April 25 to April 28, get out and document as much flora and fauna as you can, and help build a rich database of your local biodiversity. Participants can upload photos taken during the challenge until May 4, and the results will be announced on May 5.
For more details, contact +91 7498982409 or check out https://www.inaturalist.org/