Cities and towns around the world will once again compete to see who has the most biodiversity in the City Nature Challenge.
This international challenge takes place from 29 April to 2 May.
And this year, the Southern Overberg region is participating in this bioblitz-style competition.
The City Nature Challenge started in 2016 between Los Angeles County and San Francisco, but has subsequently grown into an international event.
South African cities joined in 2019 and have consistently delivered nature’s winners, with Cape Town winning with the most observations and the most species observed last year.
All nature lovers are encouraged to join the challenge in 2022 over the long weekend by logging all the plant and animal species they see in their gardens or region on the nature application, iNaturalist.
The following week, between 3 May and 8 May, those interested identify all the species recorded and logged on the app.
You’re invited to join
The Botanical Society of South Africa (BotSoc) and the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI’s) Custodians of Rare and Endangered Wildflowers (CREW) programme together with the Cape Agulhas Municipality and a host of partners are organising nature walks in the Southern Overberg – and are inviting anyone to join.
The Southern Overberg BotSoc Branch Chair, Stephen Smuts, says: “We have a fantastic weekend of activities planned, and we’re excited to see what the Southern Overberg all has to offer in terms of our wonderful nature.
“This is a great way for everyone – parents and children alike – to enjoy a weekend in nature.”
All the information collected throughout the weekend also feeds into local conservation and nature monitoring activities.
CREW Manager, Suvarna Parbhoo Mohan, reports that 12 South African cities and regions have already signed up to participate this year.
The South African entrants are Bloemfontein, Cape Town, eThekwini, the Garden Route, Johannesburg, Nelson Mandela Bay, Overstrand, Southern Overberg, Stellenbosch, Thoyohandou, Tshwane and the West Coast.
Said Smuts: “We’ll publish the full list of spots where we will be getting into nature and logging all the species we see as part of this nature census – also known as bioblitzing – on our social media pages soon, so please keep an eye on our pages for more.”
For more information on the City Nature Challenge, how to get involved and BotSoc and CREW’s support to the challenge, visit: https://botanicalsociety.org.za/crew-programme/.
For a full list of the activities taking place across the Southern Overberg, visit: https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/city-nature-challenge-2022-southern-overberg/journal