The City Nature Challenge of Hyderabad, held from April 28 to May 1, drew 337 community scientists who meticulously recorded over 30,000 observations of more than 1,900 species over the four-day event.
The City Nature Challenge 2023, a global competition aimed at documenting urban biodiversity, saw an impressive display of participation from cities all over the world.
Hyderabad made an impressive debut among the 35 Indian cities competing, emerging as the top Indian city in terms of observations and participant count. This outstanding achievement demonstrates Hyderabad’s dedication to preserving and appreciating nature within its urban environment.
The challenge, spearheaded by WWF-India’s dedicated team of core volunteers led by Farida, Akbar, Ram, and Priyanka, provided a unique opportunity for nature enthusiasts to come together, contributing not only to a global effort in biodiversity conservation but also fostering a deeper connection with nature.
Ram Dayal Vaishnav, a passionate nature enthusiast who took part in the challenge said, “it is a unique opportunity to increase our understanding of nature and to contribute to global urban biodiversity data collection at the same time.”
Throughout the challenge, citizen scientists documented fascinating sightings including commonly observed species like Neem, Common Lantana, Sacred Fig, Santa Maria Feverfew, Red-vented Bulbul, and Plain Tiger Butterfly.
The astonishing discoveries of 33 threatened species such as Bengal Quince, Purcell’s Hunter Slug, Spot-billed Pelican, and many more flourishing amidst the city’s hustle and bustle drew the most attention.
The challenge revealed intriguing observations of previously unknown species such as Anochetus rufus, a cryptic ant species, Pseudoidiumsantalacearum, a sandalwood fungal disease, and Enicostemmaaxillare, a medicinal plant with various traditional uses and many more species.
Farida Tampal, State Director of WWF-India Hyderabad office, stated, “We are thrilled to witness Hyderabad’s exceptional performance on a global scale. Through initiatives like the City Nature Challenge, we aim to deepen people’s connection with nature and engage them in citizen science projects for the long term.”
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