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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.

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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.

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Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi on Wednesday dared Narendra Modi to woo the voters in the run up to the upcoming Lok Sabbha polls.Talking to reporters in the sidelines of the party executive body meeting at the Rajiv Bhawan on Wednesday, Gogoi said that Rahul Gandhi is not required to take on the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate. Gogoi said that he can alone take on the Gujarat Chief Minister. “Let Narendra Modi come to hold rally in Guwahati. I will take on him alone,” Gogoi said.  The chief minister further exuded confidence that Congress will win 12 seats in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. 
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Union minister Oscar Fernandes said on Wednesday that Congress in Assam would be able to do very well in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.Talking to reporters at the Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport on Wednesday morning, Fernandes said that the party is expected to win all the seats in the polls.He further said that Narendra Modi has hardly any impact in Assam and that the BJP’s prime ministerial candidates won’t be able to garner support from the state.
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