Apr 15, 2024
OTTAWA, Apr 15, 2024 -Canadians coast to coast will compete against a record number of 667 cities from 48 countries in the 2024 City Nature Challenge, a massive international effort to track and showcase global biodiversity. As part of the collaboration with CWF, 40 Canadian cities have united to represent Canada in this global competition to see which community can track the highest number of wildlife observations from April 26 to 29. Results will be announced after May 8.
“This is a friendly world-wide citizen science event designed to connect people to nature while helping monitor wildlife species distribution around the globe,” said James Pagé, Species at Risk and Biodiversity Specialist with the Canadian Wildlife Federation (CWF). “The valuable data collected during the event can help track trends in biodiversity. Maybe we’ll be finding different species this year with such an early spring in most of Canada.”
During the City Nature Challenge and year-round, individuals can help scientists by contributing valuable observations for biodiversity research and conservation through use of the iNaturalist app. Scientists can’t be everywhere, but by using smartphones and digital cameras as tools, iNaturalist Canada allows people to connect with nature while helping to conserve it.
With the loss of biological diversity emerging as a global environmental threat, everyday people can be part of the solution. The City Nature Challenge encourages people to upload species observations and sounds to the iNaturalist platform that become part of an international database of biodiversity to be used for conservation.
While Canadian cities will compete against each other to see which one can engage the most people and accumulate the highest number of observations, the collective number will represent Canada’s total in the international competition.
In 2023, nearly 1.9 million observations were made and more than 57,000 species were identified including rare, endangered, or threatened species. In Canada, 74,972 observations were made of 4,433 species. Calgary earned top honours with 9,185 observations while Victoria tracked the greatest variety of observations with 1,414. This year’s event runs in two parts: recording observations from April 26 to 29 and identifying observations April 30 to May 5.
The City Nature Challenge was established by the California Academy of Sciences and Natural Museum of Los Angeles in 2016. To get involved, visit citynaturechallenge.ca. People not in a participating city can still take part by joining the global City Nature Challenge project on iNaturalist.ca to have their observations count. The public can also contribute using iNaturalist Canada all year by joining CWF’s Observation Nation project.
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RELATED LINKS:
- Canadian Wildlife Federation City Nature Challenge Information Page >
- City Nature Challenge Canada iNaturalist Project Page >
- Canadian Wildlife Federation Observation Nation Project page >
- City Nature Challenge >
About the Canadian Wildlife Federation:
The Canadian Wildlife Federation is a national, not-for-profit charitable organization dedicated to conserving Canada’s wildlife and habitats for the use and enjoyment of all. By spreading knowledge of human impacts on wildlife and the environment, carrying out actions to conserve and restore species and habitats, developing and delivering conservation education programs, advocating for changes to government policy and programs, and co-operating with like-minded partners, CWF encourages a future in which Canadians can live in harmony with nature. For more information, visit CanadianWildlifeFederation.ca.
About the City Nature Challenge:
Started in 2016 for the first-ever Citizen Science Day, the teams at Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County and California Academy of Sciences dreamed up the City Nature Challenge as a fun way to capitalize on their home cities’ friendly rivalry. In 2017 the City Nature Challenge went national and in 2018 it became an international event.
English Contact: David DeRocco
Sr. Manager, Marketing and Events
davidd@cwf-fcf.org
(613) 599-9594 x 279
(905) 975 4672 (cell)
General Contact:
media@cwf-fcf.org
PARTICIPATING CANADIAN CITIES:
BRITISH COLUMBIA
Abbotsford
Richmond
Thompson-Nicola Regional District
Vancouver (Metro Vancouver Regional District)
Victoria (Greater Victoria)
ALBERTA
Calgary Metropolitan Region
Edmonton area
Lethbridge
SASKATCHEWAN
Regina and area
Saskatoon
MANITOBA
Brandon
Winnipeg Region
ONTARIO
Barrie
Kincardine
Kingston
London
Niagara Falls
Ottawa
Peterborough
Richmond Hill
Sault St. Marie
St. Catharines
Thunder Bay District
Toronto and GTA
Welland
Windsor
QUEBEC
Gatineau and area
Montreal (Greater Montreal)
Quebec City
Saint-Hyacinthe
Sherbrooke
NEW BRUNSWICK
Albert County
Gloucester Country
Saint John County
York County
NOVA SCOTIA
Cape Breton Regional Municipality
Halifax Regional Municipality
NEWFOUNDLAND AND LABRADOR
St. John’s
PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND
Charlottetown
Summerside
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