Record local wildlife through a smartphone app to support conservation efforts.
The City Nature Challenge takes place from the 26 to 29 April and is an exciting opportunity to join people across the world in documenting wildlife. Members of the public are encouraged to record wildlife through the free smart phone app iNaturalist, feeding into a vast collection of wildlife observations. Information collected from the challenge provides invaluable insight into how different species are doing, supporting both local and global conservation efforts.
This year, the Warwickshire Biological Record Centre (WRBC) and Warwickshire County Council’s Country Parks service are actively seeking participation from Warwickshire residents. As well as encouraging residents to get involved in their neighbourhoods, special City Nature Challenge events are being hosted at Kingsbury Water Park, Ryton Pools Country Park, University of Warwick Innovation Campus and Foundry Wood in Leamington:
- Events will be hosted at Ryton Pools Country Park on Saturday 27 April in the morning at 10.30 and in the afternoon at 14.30.
- On the same day, events will take place at the University of Warwick Innovation Campus in Wellesbourne at 10.00 – 12.00 and 13.00 – 15.00.
- An event will take place at Kingsbury Water Park on Sunday 28 April at 10.00.
- There is also a drop-in event at Foundry Wood in Leamington Spa on the Sunday from 10.00 – 12.00.
These events are led by colleagues with specialist knowledge about different species who can support attendees with using the app and provide advice and interesting information about wildlife spotted.
Recording wildlife for the challenge requires a simple four-step process: find wildlife, photograph it, upload the observation to the app or website, and help with species identification.
The City Nature Challenge's growth is evidenced by the increasing number of observations and participants each year. In 2023, nearly 2 million observations were made by over 66,000 participants. Warwickshire, in collaboration with Coventry, joined the initiative for the first-time last year, contributing over 4,000 observations from 165 participants.
David Lowe, Warwickshire County Council’s Ecology, Historic Environment and Landscape Manager, said:
“The City Nature Challenge increases understanding of wildlife and biodiversity on a global scale as well as closer to home. This is a fantastic opportunity to be part of something hugely significant, as well as being fun for the whole family.
“The importance of getting involved in events like this can’t be overstated. It helps to inform local authorities of the status of the biodiversity in their region which is essential information for planning and helps us make the right choices to protect our environment and its many varied inhabitants.”
Did you know…
- The WBRC holds records of some 15,000 individual species, including protected species, totalling over 3 million records.
- Over 2,700 species of wildlife have been recorded at Ryton Pools Country Park!