NATURALISTS in Warwickshire are urging residents to get involved with a global effort to document wildlife.
The Warwickshire Biological Record Centre (WRBC) and Warwickshire County Council’s Country Parks service are encouraging people in the county to take part in the City Nature Challenge from April 26 to 29.
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.
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.
The events will be led by experts with specialist knowledge about different species who can help attendees with the app and provide advice and information about wildlife spotted.
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.”
Participants in the challenge are asked to find wildlife, photograph it, upload the observation to the app or website, and help with species identification.
In 2023, 165 participants from Warwickshire and Coventry contributed over 4,000 observations to the City Nature Challenge.
Visit www.citynaturechallenge.org for more information on the City Nature Challenge, or https://tinyurl.com/dk52nh42 for more information on the events in Warwickshire.
