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.