Fancy Taking Part in a Global Nature Challenge?

The City Nature Challenge takes place from Friday 24 - Monday 27 April. It is an annual event documenting nature and helping residents, nature enthusiasts and professionals alike to better understand urban biodiversity. 

To take part, you just need to:

• Download the nature recording app iNaturalist
• Take photos of the plants, animals or other wildlife around you in your garden or on your daily exercise
• Upload those images to the app
  

Recordings made in our city will appear on the dedicated Nottingham pages of the iNaturalist website. The City Local Group is also inviting people who can help identify species in the photos taken, to confirm the sightings through the app or on the iNaturalist website until Sunday 3 May.

In Nottingham, the initiative is being led by the Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust City Local Group and Ignite!. Other partners include 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. There are plans for schools and youth groups to take part in a bioblitz later in the year when they reopen.

Giselle Sterry from the National Biodiversity Network said,  “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.

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 across our city, country and the world.