The City Nature Challenge is an international effort for people to find and document plants and wildlife in cities across the globe. It’s a bioblitz-style competition rooted in citizen science where cities are in a contest against each other to see who can make the most observations of nature, who can find the most species, and who can engage the most people. CNCsoflo encompasses Palm Beach, Broward, Miami-Dade, and Monroe Counties. South Florida has an array of unique environments, both terrestrial and marine, where diverse flora and fauna can be found just outside your door.
The annual City Nature Challenge occurs over two weekends. The first weekend (April 28-May 1) is a BioBlitz weekend - it's all about wildlife observations! Any observations made within our SoFlo boundary during weekend one will contribute to our tallies. Participation occurs through an app called iNaturalist, where you can take and upload pictures of flora, fauna, and fungi. When you upload your photo, identify the species to the best of your ability. If in doubt, leave it unidentified. The second weekend (May 2-May 7) is all about wildlife identification. Connect in person or virtually with your SoFlo peers to best identify species observed in your area. Are you familiar with South Florida species? Hop on iNaturalist and help identify local observations! Make sure to check back on your own observations, as your peers confirm your identifications and might suggest alternatives.
City Nature Challenge South Florida calls on local groups to help host outdoor BioBlitz events day and night throughout the challenge, from nature walks and snorkels, to kayak tours and ID parties. Help South Florida win the challenge by competing in 3 categories:
1. Most participants (you and all your friends)
2. Most observations (take as many photos as you can)
3. Most unique species (celebrate biodiversity!)
Why does it matter? Wildlife observations on iNaturalist become research grade when the species has been identified correctly and is confirmed by the iNaturalist community. Research grade data helps scientists and resource managers understand when and where organisms occur. The data is used in scientific study, resource management, and policymaking. iNaturalist shares your findings with scientific data repositories like the Global Biodiversity Information Facility to help scientists find and use your data.