Penang Islanders join forces to prove that Penang Island deserves to be counted among the most biodiverse cities in the world.
Come 26 – 29 April 2019, Penang will be among 150 cities around the world that will be engaged in a friendly global competition to see which cities can come up tops in terms of the number of observations made of native biodiversity. The international City Nature Challenge 2019 is both a celebration of the biodiversity in our backyards as well as the role citizen scientists can play in collecting data on flora and fauna. The challenge is made possible by the iNaturalist app which can be downloaded onto your smartphones.
The Penang Island City Nature Challenge 2019 is a way to use our devices and love for connectivity to get outside, interact with nature, and help to raise awareness and appreciation of the unique biodiversity of our cities. The event is being supported by The Habitat Penang Hill and The Habitat Foundation together with the Penang State Government, Penang Hill Corporation, Friends of Penang Botanical Gardens Society, the School of Biological Sciences (USM), Malaysian Primatological Society, Malaysian Nature Society, Penang Forestry Department, Pejabat Pendidikan Daerah Timur Laut and Pejabat Pendidikan Daerah Barat Daya of the Penang Education Department, Night Spotting Project, Nature Classroom and Nature Walks Penang Hill.
Penang Island vs The Rimba Project
To stoke your competitive streak, we also have a healthy competition going with the Klang Valley City Nature Challenge which is being led by the enthusiastic team from The Rimba Project at Universiti Malaya. Full credit to them because Klang Valley was placed among the Top 5 biodiverse cities in the word! On Penang Island, we know we shall face some serious competition from Selangor and KL, but we are up to the challenge if everyone pitches in we have your participation!
How to get started
Signing up is easy. All you need to do is download the iNaturalist app on your smartphones. Once you have done this, register using your email. Look for PROJECTS, and then scroll down to find City Nature Challenge – Penang Island. Join this Project and be ready to start capturing observations of native plants and animals from 26 April to 29 April 2019. You can take photos anywhere on the island, from your own garden, school compound, parks and reserves.
Participants should not forget to register using this form in order to qualify for prizes! https://goo.gl/forms/YsPOSbwUxOezAGky1
Top placed observers stand to win cash prizes and there are a large number of consolation prizes as well as lucky draw prizes which include t-shirts, books, complimentary tickets to The Habitat.
If you have any questions about the Penang City Nature Challenge 2019, or would like more information on the scheduled activities, you can email lingeshwarry@thehabitat.my
With people nowadays drifting further away from their natural surroundings, The Penang Island City Nature Challenge is a way to reconnect people to nature and appreciate the wild flora and fauna that can be found all around us. With such enthusiastic participation in the February event, we hope that the main event in April will attract many more Penangites to take part in the challenge.
Dr Ahmad Zafir, Head of Environmental Education at The Habitat Penang Hill.
The Habitat Foundation is proud to support the Penang Island City Nature Challenge 2019 which will see Penang residents joining more than 150 cities around the world in celebrating the natural diversity of urban areas! At its heart, the City Nature Challenge is about cultivating an interest in nature among people of all ages as a way of raising awareness of the global importance of preserving biodiversity.
Justine Vaz, General Manager of The Habitat Foundation.
Special events in conjunction with Penang Island CNC 2019
To add to the fun, there will be a number of nature events on Penang Hill and at the Penang Botanic Gardens during CNC 2019. Participants are encouraged to take the opportunity to enjoy the scheduled activities.
26 April 2019 (Friday)
7.30 am – 11.00 am: Explore Nature (Penang Hill) – *RM20/pax
7.30 pm – 10.00 pm: Night in the Forest (Penang Botanical Garden)
27 April 2019 (Saturday)
7.30 am – 10.00 am: Walk in the Garden (Botanical Garden) – Free
7.30 pm – 10.00 pm: Night in the Forest (Penang Hill) – *RM20/pax
28 April 2019 (Sunday)
7.30 am – 11.00 am: Explore Nature (Penang Hill) – *RM20/pax
7.30 pm – 10.00 pm: Drawn to the Light-Insects at Night (Penang Hill) – Free
Birding around Penang Island with Mr Kanda Kumar (MNS)/
Bring along your camera and binoculars/ For confirmation please contact Mr Kanda 013 4537992
29 April 2019 (Monday)
7.30 pm – 10.00 pm: Night in the Forest (Botanical Garden)
Background to the Global City Nature Challenge
The City Nature Challenge was first organized in the United States by the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County and California Academy of Sciences in 2016. It began as a friendly inter-city competition between Los Angeles and San Francisco. The following year it went nationwide with tremendous success, and by 2018 the City Nature Challenge had grown into an international event involving 63 countries. In 2019, the City Nature Challenge will be held from 26 – 29 April. The Penang Intersecondary School City Nature Challenge 2019 was held to introduce the iNaturalist app and to encourage more participation in CNC 2019.
