Global Wildlife Citizen Science comes to Nottingham!
Nottingham is taking part for the first time in the global City Nature Challenge, and needs your help.
The City Nature Challenge is an international event to record our urban wildlife over 24th April to 27th April 2020.
The City Nature Challenge is an international event to record our urban wildlife over 24th April to 27th April 2020.
Over 200 cities across the world are taking part this year with 10 from the UK including Nottingham. This year, The City Local Group from Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust we will be concentrating on what we can find around our homes. Instead of a competition it will now be a collaborative celebration of recording nature from across the world, documenting nature and helping residents, nature enthusiasts and professionals alike to better understand urban biodiversity.
Other partners include Ignite, Nottingham City Council and the National Biodiversity Network. Ignite! has received funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund to support the engagement of schools and community groups in the challenge., and information on how schools still open and families learning at home can get involved is available via the Ignite! website and social media. There are plans for schools and youth groups to take part in a bioblitz later in the year when they reopen.
Now more than ever is a time when people are recognising the importance of feeling connected to nature and the joy that butterflies and blossom can bring in hard times. We want people to get involved in this project to celebrate and showcase the biodiversity in our city.National Biodiversity Network
The City Nature Challenge is about celebrating urban wildlife in all its forms, that means not just parks and open spaces, but also the birds in our garden, the ‘weeds’ on our patio, the bugs on our balconies, the spiders in our sheds and the butterflies on our allotments. This is an opportunity for people to look at their environments a different way, and find beauty in unexpected places.
To take part, simply download the free iNaturalist app via the website and take photos of the plants, insects, animals, birds or fungi you spot from your windows or outside your house. No expert knowledge needed: the app will help you to ID your findings, or you can share the photo with the global community for an answer.
In all cases please follow the latest NHS and Government guidelines and look after yourself.
Get involved by:
- recording wildlife in the area around your home e.g. in the garden, from your balcony, pavement areas or your allotment
- Check out your garden shed, garage and other crevices to see who or what we share our home with
- Help identify the wildlife that is seen
Simply search for the City Nature Challenge 2020, Nottingham City, UK on iNaturalist to see what people around you are spotting.
The City Local Group of Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust also need help to identify wildlife sightings on the iNaturalist website that are recorded over the CNC weekend. More information on how to do this is on the iNaturalist website and the Nottingham City page.
The group would like as many people as possible to take part so even if you don’t live in the City please still record your sightings in iNaturalist. They will be collating sightings from across the UK as well at City Nature Challenge UK.
Sightings need to be recorded between 24 and 27 April 2020. They will then need to be uploaded to iNaturalist by 3 May 2020 to count in the tally.
For more information about this event and future wildlife activities in Nottingham please visit Wildlife in the City .
For more ideas of nature activities please visit The Natural History Consortium who has collated resources from across the UK which will be made freely available.
At the end of the challenge, all the data will be available and where possible shared to national and international databases, which will enable researchers to better understand changes in biodiversity.