Q: Do I have to register to participate, or is joining iNaturalist enough?
• All you have to do is join iNaturalist and make observations during the four days of the City Nature Challenge (30 April – 03 May 2021) within the eThekwini Municipality limits see map on project page https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/city-nature-challenge-2021-ethekwini and upload them on or before the 9th of May 2021. While contributing to the City Nature Challenge, observations will also automatically be contributing to the various nature reserves, DMOSS sites and other places of biodiversity significance. The iNaturalist website will handle that all automatically. All you have to do is photograph and upload with the iNaturalist app or website https://www.inaturalist.org/places/south-africa
Q: What happens if the weather turns ugly and we cannot get out on those days?
• There are four days (30 April – 03 May 2021). We will just have to try harder on the best days.
Q: Why is the Challenge in autumn, instead of spring when things are happening?
• Invented by citizen science staff at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County and California Academy of Sciences, the City Nature Challenge is an international effort for people to find and document plants and wildlife in cities across the globe. The Challenge is set according to the northern hemisphere’s spring. Australia has initiated a Southern Bioblitz and we will participate in both events.
Q: I don’t feel safe to be in public spaces during the pandemic or am unable to leave my home. How can I participate in the Challenge?
• Explore your home, basement, garage, garden get to know nature in your neighbourhood. Record your garden plants, weeds, pot plants (just mark them as 'planted') bees, flies, butterflies, birds, ants, pests (aphids, millipedes, snails and caterpillars), chameleons and lizards, insects, worms during the day. Whip out the flashlight for night observations. You may want to obscure the observation’s location to prevent your home location becoming public if you are concerned about privacy. On the other hand some people create projects and advertise their gardens. It is entirely up to you.
• Road verges and roadside trees also count, just remember to mark those planted accordingly.
Q: How can I track progress during the Challenge to see how many observations and species and participants there are?
• Visit this project, or bookmark this link: https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/city-nature-challenge-2021-ethekwini - it will continuously update as the Challenge progresses.
• Check out the global competition here: https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/city-nature-challenge-2021 - this is continuously updated, so you can monitor progress. Remember that we are near GMT, so almost half the world is ahead of us (starting with New Zealand 10 hours ahead) and half behind (ending with Hawaii 14 hours behind).
Q: How do I find out where a species has been recorded in the city?
• On the iNaturalist web page, choose "Explore", and add in the organism name (you can use common names) and the place (eThekwini) and you can look at the map, observations, species (if you have chosen a genus or family), and the observers and identifiers in the area.
Q: How do I find a checklist for a nature reserve or other place?
• On the iNaturalist web page, choose More, select places, and enter the name of the place you are interested in. On the page, choose the checklist option below the filters on the left. You can narrow down the checklist to any group, family or genus that you are interested in. For example:
Butterflies of New Germany: https://www.inaturalist.org/check_lists/1181211-New-Germany-Nature-Reserve-Check-List?q=&view=photo&taxon=47224
