As the Mother City and located in one of the most biodiverse areas in the world, Cape Town has put the city squarely on the nature map for the 2019 City Nature Challenge. The competition will run from 26 to 29 April 2019 and is open to residents and tourists of all ages to participate. This is the first year that African cities are taking part, and Cape Town joins Nairobi and Port Harcourt in taking up the challenge.

The City of Cape Town will coordinate activities in the conservation areas around Cape Town and will be opening all of its reserves to scholars and anyone interested in recording, mapping or assisting with the challenge for a period of four days. ‘Bioblitzes’ and tours of the reserves with local experts and managers will be taking place during the course of this challenge.

‘We are extremely proud to participate in this globally important biodiversity competition and look forward to this exciting challenge. We are inviting all Capetonians to ‘bioblitz’ our nature reserves and natural open areas to record everything alive over those four days.

‘With over 150 cities taking part, we know this challenge will be no small task for Cape Town. Our city is incredibly blessed with vast nature reserves and many natural open areas but it is now up to us to showcase and display our fauna and flora. This challenge will provide residents and visitors with a fun opportunity to get outside and actually look for nature in this beautiful city,’ said Mayoral Committee member for Spatial Planning and Environment, Alderman Marian Nieuwoudt.

Participants may record any plant, animal, fungi, slime mould or any other evidence of life (scat, fur, tracks, shells, carcasses) found in Cape Town and should not forget to record the location of their findings.

In order to share these observations and participate in the challenge, participants need to register on iNaturalist.com and upload all the findings. Interested participants are encouraged to download the iNaturalist app via https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/city-nature-challenge-2019-cape-town to register as soon as possible to learn about the process when the competition kicks off next month. Updates and information leading up to the challenge will also be shared on iNaturalist.

Schools, universities and social groups are encouraged to use this as an opportunity to facilitate, manage and support student outdoor learning and exploration in schoolyards, nearby parks, or other green spaces.

For more information, contact Eleanor Hutchings at Eleanor.Hutchings@capetown.gov.za or Tony Rebelo at t.rebelo@sanbi.org.za.
 

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