About Project
The City Nature Challenge (CNC) is an annual international event to collaboratively record as many wildlife observations as possible during a four day challenge. People from all over the world explore nature in their neighborhoods and cities to find and document wildlife, using recording platforms like iNaturalist.
Started in 2016 as a friendly competition between Los Angeles and San Francisco, the CNC has grown into an international event where cities collaborate to find species, collect observations, and connect communities to nature. The Community Science teams at the California Academy of Sciences (CAS) and the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County (NHM) make up the Global Organizing Team.
Over the 10 years of the challenge more than 364 000 people have collected almost 13 million observations for science. These data are used by scientists and land managers to better understand our world, and ultimately to help stop biodiversity loss through conservation actions. It is the largest dataset of global biodiversity and it is used extensively in scientific research – over 1000 studies published last year used iNaturalist data.
City Nature Challenge Goals:
- Connect people to nature where they live
- Build community through collective action for local nature
- Make and share nature observations to help fight biodiversity loss
- Grow and support nature documentation globally
- Have fun doing science while collaborating with people around the world
How Does It Work?
Every official CNC city or metro area has one or more individuals from that region who serve as local organizers. Local organizers come from all backgrounds and range from high school students to environmental professionals and beyond. All organizers meet online regularly with the Global Organizing team for six months before the CNC. Support from the Global Organizing Team includes trainings, tools, and resources that organizers use to promote and implement the CNC in the ways that work best in their communities. Local organizers create partnerships with local organizations, schools, city/regional governments, and community-based organizations.
Why Participate?
The greatest motivation for participants is discovering and learning new things. At the same time, this challenge offers the opportunity to meet people with similar interests, with whom they can continue to collaborate and build friendships. Many people are also aware of the various environmental issues threatening nature and see this as a way to contribute to its research and protection. The City Nature Challenge especially highlights the importance of biodiversity and the need to study and conserve it. It gives people a reason to head outdoors, relax, and explore new places – which is beneficial for our physical health, particularly in today's fast-paced world, when we spend very little time in nature.