City Nature Challenge Bubble coordinators
As the organizers of the Garden Route City Nature Challenge (CNC), we would like to invite you to take part in assisting with the coordination of your area for the 2024 City Nature Challenge, which is a global biodiversity challenge.
It is time to start planning for this year's CNC which will run from 26 April 2024 to 29 April 2024, with the upload and identification period ending on 05 May 2024.
Most of you are aware of what the Challenge is about.... but for those who are not .....
What is the City Nature Challenge?
The CNC is an annual international biodiversity event to collaboratively record as many wildlife observations as possible during a four-day challenge within a designated project area. People from all over the world explore nature in their neighbourhoods and cities to find and document wildlife.
Every year, we record how many observations of nature are uploaded, how many different species are documented, and how many people help this global scientific community better understand nature all over the world.
With this data, we can better protect our environment.
This will be the 5th year that the Garden Route has participated in this amazing event.
Read more here @ https://citynaturechallenge.org/
Goals of the CNC.
Connect people in urban/metro areas to their local nature.
Collect biodiversity data available to use for science, management, and conservation.
Grow a volunteer base that documents biodiversity globally.
Have fun through some friendly competition.
Currently, the Garden Route District (GRD) has amassed over 450,000 observations and recorded over 11000 species.
To date, the coordination of this event has been run by a handful of dedicated people covering the whole of the GRD.
To uplift the game of the GRD we need your help.
The project has been created and can be viewed and joined @ https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/city-nature-challenge-2024-garden-route.
We need Bubble Coordinators in local areas to take the lead in motivating and organizing the group around you. It can be a community within your area, or another organization, or your organization. Any input from your side would be appreciated.
What would we ask you to do [where possible]?
The GRD is home to over 600,000 people. The area stretches from Ladismith, through to Witsand in the west, through to Natures Valley and Uniondale in the east.
We would like you to initiate and create awareness and interest in the CNC and iNaturalist in general within your normal scope and work area. We are not asking you to cross country to do other sections. Hopefully, each section will have its own Bubble Coordinator.
• Promote training on the use of the iNaturalist online platform and App.
• Initiate training events.
• Encourage new users to make use of the platform or app before the challenge so any problems or issues can be ironed out.
• Encourage new users to follow advice to effectively make use of the platform or app so that they get the benefit from it.
• Encourage the correct type of photos to be taken to aid with identification.
• Encourage users to follow the project and, if they use Facebook, follow the Garden Route iNaturalist page as well. As the event dates approach valuable information will be posted here.
• Encourage people to plan and get out during the challenge period and upload their observations during the specified time frame.
We would not expect you to do it all alone.
• We as the core committee will do all the registrations and preparations for the event.
• Liaise with national and international organizers.
• Develop and provide promotional material where needed.
• Provide online training for both you, as well as groups you recruit.
• Where possible we will provide face-to-face training for larger groups.
• Assist with queries and support.
• Create, monitor, and provide information on iNatualist project.
• Host the Garden Route INaturalist channel on WhatsApp https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaBHNZFCcW4qrRahF82H.
• Host a Facebook page to provide information throughout https://www.facebook.com/GardenRouteINaturalist/.
No matter how small the contribution is, everything is welcome. Organize your school, work, community or just your family and friends.
Contact us at grd.cnc@gmail.com
We look forward to working with you.
