13 Apr 2022 The City Nature Challenge is an international competition in which cities from around the world encourage everyday people to become citizen scientists for a weekend (29 April – 2 May) and make observations of plants, animals, bugs and other organisms. Cape Town has previously won two of the three categories (Most Species and Most Observations), and the goal this year is to take the third category too: Most Participants. How to participate Anyone can take part in this ‘bioblitz’ and contribute to science, with more than 500 cities participating. Go outside with your phone or camera and take photos of any organism you see – bugs, birds, fish, plants, mushrooms (the only things that don’t count are humans and domestic animals like dogs and cats). Upload your pics using the iNaturalist app, or post them to the iNaturalist website. As long as the location of your photos is correct, they will be added to Cape Town’s City Nature Challenge project and local experts will be able to start identifying the special species that you saw. It’s so simple that your whole family can participate, and it’s fascinating to learn a bit more about the weird and wonderful plants and animals that we often overlook in our gardens, on our pavements and in our neighbourhoods. Let’s prove that Cape Town is one of the most biodiverse cities in the world!
