City Nature Challenge 2024
Join community scientists across the capital region in celebrating local species and ecosystems by participating in the 2024 City Nature Challenge happening April 26-29, 2024. During the City Nature Challenge over 400 cities across the world compete to photograph and document their local biodiversity using the free iNaturalist website or app. iNaturalist creates a record of the nature that surrounds us and helps local government and scientists protect biodiversity.
- Create an account using the free iNaturalist app (AppStore or Google Play) or website
- Head online to join the Greater Victoria City Nature Challenge project for a chance to win prizes and receive project updates
- Use a digital camera or smart phone to capture photos of wild plants, animals, fungi, insects, tracks, or even scat in your backyard, neighbourhood, or favourite park or beach between April 26-29.
- Upload your sightings to iNaturalist by May 5.
- Identify your findings as best you can and have people from the iNaturalist community help confirm.
City Nature Challenge Events
April 10
- Introduction to iNaturalist. Learn how to use iNaturalist and participate in the City Nature Challenge during this free workshop from 6-8pm at the Swan Lake Nature House. Learn more and register here.
April 18
- Building Backyard Biodiversity Webinar: Looking for ways to foster nature in your backyard or outdoor space? Learn how the District of Saanich’s Naturescape program can create, maintain and enhance wildlife habitat and native biodiversity on your property and help create wildlife corridors in urban and rural areas from 7-8 pm over Zoom.
April 27
- CRD Regional Parks Birding Basics: Stop by Island View Regional Parks between 10am – 1pm for a self-guided walk all about birding! Learn about what to look and listen for when identifying birds in the area. Learn more here.
April 28
- Rocky Point Bird Observatory: bird walk at Outerbridge Park on Sunday, April 28 at 9 am. Learn more here.
- CRD Regional Parks Glory of the Understory: Stop by Thetis Lake Regional Park between 10 am – 1pm to learn how each layer of the forest offers food and shelter for a variety of wildlife. Learn more here.
- District of Saanich Pulling Together Park Tours:Stop by Cedar Hill Park between 9am – 12pm for guided tours of the park to see what amazing wild plants, animals and fungi can be observed. Park volunteers will be there to help with iNaturalist.Stop by Camrose Park or Peacock Hill Park between 10:30am – 11:30 am for guided tours of the park to see what amazing wild plants, animals and fungi can be observed. Park staff and volunteers will be there to help with iNaturalist.
City Nature Join Prizes
Join the Greater Victoria City Nature Challenge 2024 iNaturalist project for a chance to win one of five prizes including a smartphone macro lens for taking close up photos or a garden centre gift certificate. You must click “join this project” in the upper right hand corner in order to be eligible for prizes.
One project participant will be randomly selected for each of these categories to win a smartphone macro camera lens:
- Five native species observations
- Five inter-tidal species observations
- Five invertebrate observations
- More than 12 different species observations
The project participant with the most identifications will win: a $50 gift card to the garden centre of your choice in the capital region.
What is Biodiversity?
Biodiversity is the term used for the incredible variety of life on Earth – from the smallest microbes to the coastal rainforests. Biodiversity includes:
- Genetic diversity: the variation in genetic characteristics of a species
- Species diversity: the number and types of different species that inhabit an area or ecosystem
- Ecosystem diversity: the variety of habitat types or ecosystems found within a landscape
Of all the provinces, BC has the most biodiversity in Canada. Insect species alone number between 50,000 and 70,000. Other species in BC include (at least) 143 mammals, 454 birds, 20 amphibians, 19 reptiles, 2,850 vascular plants, 1,600 lichens, 522 attached algae, and over 10,000 fungi. The great abundance of life found in many of BC’s marine areas rivals the biodiversity of tropical rain forests. Around 7,000 marine species have been identified in the region off the coast of BC, and at least as many unidentified species are believed to exist.
For more information visit the 2024 City Nature Challenge!
