{"id":15789,"date":"2022-04-24T12:00:33","date_gmt":"2022-04-24T10:00:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.discoverwildlife.com\/?p=44196"},"modified":"2022-04-24T12:15:26","modified_gmt":"2022-04-24T10:15:26","slug":"city-nature-challenge-when-it-takes-place-and-how-to-take-part","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/rss_feed\/city-nature-challenge-when-it-takes-place-and-how-to-take-part\/","title":{"rendered":"City Nature Challenge: when it takes place and how to take part"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By Megan Shersby\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Sunday, 24 April 2022 at 12:00 am<\/p>

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What is City Nature Challenge?<\/h2>\n
The City Nature Challenge<\/a> is an international event that is both a wildlife-spotting competition and a citizen science<\/a> project. Cities (and sometimes regions) across the world pitted against each other to see who can submit the most observations, the most species, and the most participants \u2013 collecting valuable data in the process.<\/p>\n
The Challenge is organised by the Natural History Museum<\/a> of Los Angeles County and the California Academy of Sciences<\/a>.<\/p>\n
The challenge is in two-parts \u2013 first, from Friday 29th April \u2013 Sunday 2nd May, take photos of wild plants and animals; from Tuesday 3rd \u2013 Sunday 8th May, identify what was found. Records can be submitted without identification, and anybody can help to identify the unknown species. The results will be announced on Monday 9th May.<\/p>\n
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The competition started in 2016 as an eight-day challenge between the American cities of Los Angeles and San Francisco, resulting in some 20,000 observations being recorded by more than 1,000 people. The event gathered so much interest that in 2017, it became national, and by 2018, had gone global.<\/p>\n
There is an abundance of nature in every city just waiting to be discovered and enjoyed \u2013 from parks to parklets, large wooded areas to allotments.<\/p>\n
As cities worldwide grow ever more densely populated, these green spaces are invaluable in helping people to feel connected with the natural world.<\/p>\n
Which cities are taking part in City Nature Challenge?<\/h2>\n
More than 260 cities are participating in the 2022\u00a0Challenge, 14 of which are in the UK:<\/p>\n
Bristol and Bath<\/li>\n
Brighton and Eastern Downs<\/li>\n
Birmingham and the Black Country<\/li>\n
Cardiff, Newport and Gwent<\/li>\n
Coventry<\/li>\n
Gloucestershire<\/li>\n
Greater Edinburgh<\/li>\n
Greater Glasgow<\/li>\n
Greater Manchester<\/li>\n
Lancashire<\/li>\n
Liverpool City Region<\/li>\n
London<\/li>\n
North East England<\/li>\n
Nottingham City<\/li>\n<\/ol>
The City Nature Challenge has grown both internationally and in the UK \u2013 in 2018, three UK cities took part, followed by seven in 2019, and then despite the COVID-19 pandemic, 10 in 2020, and 14 in 2021.<\/p>\n
\u201cOrdinary people have been watching and monitoring nature in the UK for hundreds of years, making our little cluster of islands one of the most well-observed areas in the world,\u201d says Matt Postles, deputy chief director of Bristol Natural History Consortium<\/a>.<\/p>\n
\u201cConservationists, researchers, planners and policy makers need more complete, up to date information to make better-informed decisions to secure a future for local wildlife.\u00a0City Nature Challenge is a great opportunity for people to have a go and get involved in what is a really fun and exciting activity, whether you are an expert or total beginner.\u201d<\/p>\n
How can I take part in City Nature Challenge?<\/h2>\n
To find out how to join your city team, visit the website: citynaturechallenge.org.uk<\/a> (UK website) or\u00a0 citynaturechallenge.org<\/a>\u00a0(main website). You\u2019ll need to download the free iNaturalist app to submit your records or submit them via the iNaturalist website: uk.inaturalist.org<\/a> (UK website) or \u00a0 inaturalist.org<\/a>\u00a0(main website), you can share your sightings on social media using #CityNatureChallenge and #CNCUK.<\/p>\n
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What species will I spot during City Nature Challenge?<\/h2>\n
Whether you\u2019re taking part in your garden, a local park or a nature reserve, there\u2019s a huge variety of wildlife that you might spot! You might be surprised how many species can be found in and near urban areas. Check out our guide to British wildlife in May<\/a> to discover what different species are up to this month.<\/p>\n
With such a huge range, we\u2019ve provided an overview to some of wildlife you might see:<\/p>\n
Mammals<\/h3>\n
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