City Nature Challenge 2022
We would like to share some exciting news from our biosphere reserve! In 2021, the Cape Winelands Biosphere Reserve (CWBR) team joined the iNaturalist community. A project page of our biosphere reserve was created, promoting Citizen Science. This year we entered the worldwide City Nature Challenge and alongside other members of the Stellenbosch community in different areas of Stellenbosch, we competed together for the title of most biodiverse city in the world.
Each year, the competition takes place over four days, from the end of April until the beginning of May. The goal is to have the most participants in the competition, and photograph as well as identify as many species of fauna and flora as possible. The rich beautiful biodiversity we are surrounded by is shared globally, while also having the opportunity to contribute to important research through the iNaturalist app.
On Saturday, with the educational STEAM-Y* unit, set up outside of the Jonkershoek Nature Reserve entrance, the CWBR team spread awareness of the City Nature Challenge and engaged with the public to part-take in the competition. Before entering the reserve, people passing by could see the live statistics on the TV screen by STEAM-Y, as the competitors photographed and uploaded different species of plants, reptiles, insects, and birds. The CWBR team photographed the biodiversity in the area to contribute to the competition.
On Sunday, together with the CWBR facilitators, eighteen participants from the Mbeko Eco-Club, based in Mbekweni Paarl, part-took in Franschhoek at Mont Rochelle Nature Reserve. Hiking up the mountain, the group contributed to the City Nature Challenge by photographing the biodiversity which sparked curiosity in them. They also did a miniSASS exercise in the river to explore the biodiversity present there.
*Science, technology, engineering, art, mathematics – for youth
The Cape Winelands Biosphere Reserve team, invited to speak about the City Nature Challenge event on RSG Sondergrense Radio on Friday morning, spread more awareness of the event and Citizen Science.
Check out how we did in the competition!
Links
City Nature Challenge Stellenbosch Project page, Cape Winelands Biosphere Reserve Project page
Biodiversity gathered by Citizen Scientists within Cape Winelands Biosphere Reserve
Highlights
