Skip to content Skip to navigation

India Leads the City Nature Challenge with 206 Cities Participating

New Delhi: India has emerged as the largest participant in the 9th annual City Nature Challenge (CNC), with 206 Indian cities among the 675 global participants. This collaborative citizen science event, running from April 26 to 29, is organized in India by WWF-India to encourage people to document and share images of wild plants, animals, and fungi using the iNaturalist app.

WWF-India is spearheading this initiative across several states, including Assam, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, and New Delhi. Neha Raghav, Director of Environment Education at WWF-India, highlighted CNC's importance, saying, "CNC is a great opportunity to engage people of all ages in citizen science."

In Assam, the event kicked off on Earth Day with youth from various colleges and universities conducting BioBlitzes. Participating institutions include Gauhati University and Cotton University. Archita Baruah Bhattacharyya, State Coordinator for WWF-India in Assam and Arunachal Pradesh, noted that CNC 2024 has expanded to include the entire North East, with two main cities—Guwahati and Digboi—leading the effort.

Globally, the CNC has seen rapid growth, with the number of participating cities increasing from 450 in 2023 to over 675 in 2024. Last year, CNC saw over 66,000 participants and nearly 1.87 million observations, with Hyderabad emerging as the top Indian city.

To participate in CNC, individuals can find wildlife, take pictures or sound recordings, and upload them to iNaturalist. This collaborative effort not only contributes to scientific research but also raises awareness about biodiversity conservation. For more information on participating cities and how to join, visit CNC India Website.

Comments

LAKHINANDAN DUTTA's picture

Cnc is helping to save wildlife in city areas
LAKHINANDAN DUTTA's picture

Cnc helping to save wildlife in city areas.

Pages

Add new comment

Assamese Translator

Assam Times seeks English to Assamese translators!
Join our volunteer team.
Email editor@assamtimes.org.

Random Stories

Upcoming resort threaten threatened bird species

29 Dec 2020 - 7:36pm | Alolika Sinha
Promonent environmental NGO of the region Aaranyak expresses its deep concern on some of the resort development activities at the Nimati-Kokilamukh area in Jorhat District, which is deemed...

Biplab taking oath as Tripura CM

8 Mar 2018 - 9:37pm | AT News
PRASENJIT SAHAAGARTALA: The stage is set in Tripura for Biplab Kumar Deb to take oath as Chief Minister on Friday. Governor Tathagata Roy will administer Deb and 11 others the oath of office and...

Bridging unity: Tale of a bamboo bridge

5 Jan 2018 - 4:28pm | AT News
Kokrajhar: There is no point of waiting for somebody. These people have no other options but to act. Yes, we are talking to the local residents of Souraodakha area in Dotma and Kachugaon in Kokrajhar...

IIE completes 23 years

3 Apr 2016 - 4:07pm | AT News
The Indian Institute of Entrepreneurship (IIE) celebrated its 23rd Foundation Day at it sLalmati HQ on April 1. The Chief guest on the occasion was Dr Jayanta Madhab, former Director of ADB, Chairman...

Other Contents by Author

Majuli: In the wake of a devastating storm that wreaked havoc on 20th April, 2023 in Majuli island of Assam, North-East Affected Area Development Society (NEADS), a local humanitarian organisation has sprung into action, initiating a humanitarian relief and rehabilitation programme to assist the affected communities in their time of need. The massive storm, which struck the island with unrelenting force, caused widespread destruction to homes, infrastructure and livelihoods, leaving hundreds of families grappling with the aftermath of the disaster. With access to basic necessities and essential services severely compromised, the affected communities faced numerous challenges on the path...
Ajit Kumar Bhuyan, a Member of Parliament in Rajya Sabha and the President of Jatiya Dal-Asom, has filed an FIR against Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and several other ministers and MLAs. The FIR, addressed to the Officer-In-Charge of Dispur Police Station, alleges that the statements made by these constitutional functionaries constitute hate speeches against a particular community. In the FIR, Bhuyan refers to recent press statements made by Chief Minister Sarma, in which he allegedly asked people from Upper Assam to come to Guwahati and promised to clear the city of "Mias." These statements, widely available on social media, are seen as intended to create divisions among...
In a recent development, the Chief of Assam Trinamool Congress (TMC), Ripun Bora, has demanded urgent action against Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma. Bora's call comes after the Director General of Police (DGP) of Assam Police takes suo-motu cognisance of a Supreme Court order, WP(C) No. 943/2021 of Ashwini Kumar Upadhaya Vs. Union of India & ORS. During a press conference held at the party's headquarters on Monday, Bora emphasized that CM Sarma's comments about the Miyan community constitute a "hate speech" and violate Section 153(A) of the IPC, as outlined in the order dated April 28, 2023, passed in WP(C) No. 943/2021. Bora further revealed that he has written a letter to...
Udalguri, Assam - In a devastating incident that took place today, Raju Keunt, a 47-year-old resident, lost his life after being trampled by a wild elephant at the Orangajuli tea garden. The unfortunate incident occurred under the jurisdiction of the Paneri police station in Udalguri district. Keunt was attempting to feed bananas to a group of wild elephants when the tragedy unfolded. Eyewitnesses reported that Keunt had ventured close to the elephants, hoping to interact with them and feed them some bananas. Unfortunately, one of the elephants became agitated and charged at him, resulting in the fatal trampling. Despite the efforts of the tea garden workers and nearby residents to...
Chuachandpur's Rural Women Upliftment Society (RWUS) has stepped forward to provide assistance and relief to the grief-stricken family of Late David Hmar, who tragically lost his life on July 2, 2023. David was brutally beheaded by an armed mob during an attack on his village, Chinglangmei, located in the Samulamlan Block of Lamka. The untimely demise of David has left his family devastated, especially considering their already precarious financial situation. David hails from an impoverished family, where his father is afflicted with Hemiparesis, a condition that has rendered him unable to work and provide for the family. As the sole breadwinner, David worked on a small farm, struggling...
 In a bid to shape the future of climate action, indigenous communities and local Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in Assam joined forces on June 30, 2023, for a community consultation on COP28, the 28th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Held at Rajputana Login, Jorhat, this event provided a vital platform for communities to express their concerns, contributions, and recommendations regarding the upcoming critical climate conference. The consultation, organized by the North-East Affected Area Development Society (NEADS) and supported by various Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), aimed to ensure that community...
IIT Roorkee, in collaboration with astronomers from India, Japan, and Europe, has made a significant breakthrough in the study of gravitational waves. An international team of astronomers has recently published their findings in the Astronomy and Astrophysics journal, providing evidence of ultra-low frequency gravitational waves and shedding light on the humming of our universe. Using some of the world's most sensitive radio telescopes, including India's largest telescope, uGMRT, the team monitored pulsars, which are rapidly rotating neutron stars, to detect these waves. The pulsars, acting as cosmic clocks, emitted radio beams that were analyzed for changes in arrival times caused by...
Assam TMC chief and AITC national spokesperson Ripun Bora on Thursday strongly condemned the shocking incident reported from Ghograpara Police Station in Nalbari district where an underage girl in lock up was stripped by a police officer and being photographed. Bora alleged that the actions of CM Himanta Biswa Sarma to empower Assam Police personnel against controlling crime resulted in extreme Police Raaj in the state. The shameful incident which happened at Ghograpar Police Station on the unfortunate night of June 21 is reported by the girl on June 26 at Nalbari district head police station, however no action was taken on that complaint till 28th June. Commenting on this, Ripun Bora...
The Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Guwahati Off-Campus celebrated its 10th Convocation ceremony on June 23, 2023. The event was held at the Maniram Dewan Trade Centre Auditorium, Guwahati and was graced by the presence of Prof. Manorama Sharma, Professor (Retd.), Dept. of History, North-Eastern Hill University (NEHU), who served as the Chief Guest. The Director of the Institute, Prof. Shalini Bharat and Officiating Registrar, Prof. Sasmita Palo were also present at the ceremony. During the convocation ceremony, 154 students who graduated in the year 2023 were awarded their degrees. One student was conferred with a PhD degree in Social Sciences while 112 students obtained their...
The TMC Assam unit has opposed the draft delimitation proposal published by the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Tuesday evening. The proposal is prepared based on the 2001 census, which the TMC claims is not correct as there has been a change in the population pattern in the state. Assam TMC chief Ripun Bora has alleged that the ECI is following the dictates of the BJP party and that the delimitation process on such short notice reflects the assurance of electoral gains through voter division. Bora also stated that the delimitation cannot be accepted without the completion of proper NRC and that TMC has been demanding delimitation on the latest census. The TMC has rejected the draft...