Capetonians invited to take part in 2025 City Nature Challenge. Here's how...
Cape Town residents and visitors are invited to participate in this year’s City Nature Challenge by capturing and sharing photos of any plants or animals on their smartphones or cameras.
Cape Town residents and visitors are invited to participate in this year’s City Nature Challenge by capturing photos of any plants or animals on their smartphones or cameras.
From Friday, 25 April 2025, to Monday, 28 April 2025, members of the public and City staff are encouraged to record and upload their observations on the iNaturalist app.
People from over 2000 cities worldwide will be recording their local animals and plants next weekend.
To get involved, you need:
- A smartphone with a camera and GPS turned on, or a camera that connects to a computer with internet access.
- An internet connection (at home, school, City nature reserve, or City library).
- Download the free iNaturalist app from the Play Store (Android) or App Store (iPhone) and sign up via this link.
Once downloaded, please ensure that you check your iNaturalist app regularly for updates ahead of the challenge next weekend.
Schools, universities and social groups are encouraged to use this as an opportunity to facilitate, manage and support student outdoor learning and exploration in schoolyards, nearby parks or other green spaces.
There is no limit to the number of observations one can submit. Residents are encouraged to record as many wild plants and animals as they can find in nature reserves, suburbs, schools and gardens.
For a list of all of the City's reserves and details about their location, facilities and attractions, please visit: https://bit.ly/3fbddE2
The free entry to the reserves does not include participating in the reserve’s permitted activities. Entry and permit fees still apply for permissible activities (e.g. 4x4 off-roading, sandboarding, quad biking).
For information about the City Nature Challenge, visit the links below:
- https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/city-nature-challenge-2025-city-of-cape-town
- Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/iNatureZA
- Alternatively, please contact Eleanor Hutchings at Eleanor.Hutchings@capetown.gov.za or Tony Rebelo at t.rebelo@sanbi.org.za.