Campus Biodiversity Network hosts the 2023 City Nature Challenge

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For the second year in a row, the Vanier-based Campus Biodiversity Network (CBN) a group of educational institutions working to protect campus greenspace, is co-hosting the City Nature Challenge from April 28 to May 1, 2023, in Greater Montreal, alongside local conservation group Technoparc Oiseaux.

The annual event challenges cities across the world to record as many species of local wildlife as possible, with the goal of protecting and conserving urban biodiversity. Residents of participating cities are invited to photograph plants and animals in their communities and share these observations via the iNaturalist app. The data collected is then identified, analyzed and used to fuel scientific research on threatened and invasive species.

Encouraged by the Campus Biodiversity Network, five boroughs of Montreal and 26 surrounding municipalities are officially on board this year, with the support of Communauté Metropolitaine de Montréal.

“At the heart of the CBN is the idea that anyone can go outside and make observations that help advance community science and conservation; the City Nature Challenge is an ideal opportunity to engage in this meaningful work, while helping contribute to the biodiversity profile of Greater Montreal,” said Katherine Collin, Vanier teacher and CBN founder.

The network supports the College’s strategic sustainability goals and contributes to Vanier’s position at the forefront of environmental initiatives across the wider college network. The City Nature Challenge is one way to get the wider community involved in this mission.

“We find that this event draws in first-time biodiversity observers and keeps many of them engaged with nature throughout the year. This connection to nature has a range of benefits: for example, research shows that students who engage with nature, even minimally, have an increased sense of well-being and focus,” says Collin.

In last year’s challenge, Montreal placed second nationally (with the borough of Saint-Laurent in the lead) out of 40 participating cities across Canada, logging nearly 7000 observations. This year, with 42 Canadian cities on board, the goal is to take home first place.

The City Nature Challenge was started in 2016 by the California Academy of Sciences and the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles. It is organized nationally by the Canadian Wildlife Federation. For more information on the competition and how to participate, click here.

Live information sessions by Zoom take place every Wednesday of April leading up to the challenge. Sign up for the April 19th session here (at 7pm in English) or the April 26th session here (6:30pm in French and English).

Learn more about the Campus Biodiversity Network here.