City Nature Challenge

Past Years

See the detail of what happened across the UK on iNaturalistUK in 2020, 2021, 2022 , 2023 and 2024.

What happened in 2024?

The City Nature Challenge took place between Friday 26 April – Monday 29 April 2024. There were 690 cities in 51 countries on all seven continents participating!

Take a look at the FAQ page for much more information about the event.

View pdf of the above graphic.

The City Nature Challenge (CNC) results have arrived! More than 83,000 people across 690 cities in 51 countries on all 7 continents documented more than 2.4 million wildlife observations for the 9th annual community science initiative. More than 65,682 species were observed, with the Mallard Duck coming in once again as the most popular around the world. 

In the UK, 24 urban areas took on the challenge. You can see the cities that took part on the City Nature Challenge UK Leaderboard.

Observations that are included are those made between Friday 26 and Monday 29  April 2024. When collating the results the figures were taken as at 9 am, local time, on Monday 6 May in each respective country. The week following the event was to allow time for observations to be added to iNaturalist and the community to identify observations to the highest level possible at that time.

The UK tally* for the UK cities registered for the City Nature Challenge is as follows:

Total Observations: 100,506

Total Species Recorded: 4,229 (figure to be confirmed)

Number of Observers: 2,538

(*The tally is declared straight after the CNC weekend and whilst the numbers will change as observations are added after the date and more species are identified, this is the official reported figure for observations, species and observers. Although Edinburgh and Glasgow areas took part and appear on the UK Leaderboard they were not included in the global CNC leaderboard and are not included in the figures above.)

The figures for the UK based on the UK leaderboard including Edinburgh and Glasgow are as follows (Note these are subject to change as observations are updated)

Total Observations: 102,664

Total Species Recorded: 4,229

Number of Observers: 2,613

Worldwide, the most commonly recorded species was Mallard. Garlic Mustard, Cow Parsley and Common Hawthorn topped our tally. The Mallard came 23rd in the UK.

Once again Blackbird, Mallard, Wood Pigeon and Robin topped our bird list. The 7-Spot Ladybird, Garden Snail and Alder Leaf Beetle were also commonly observed. The Orange-Tip was the most observed butterfly but only 124 observations.

To view the results in depth and see the current, up to date numbers, the UK City Nature Challenge species list is available on iNaturalistUK.

You can view the collective results from across the world

City Nature Challenge 2024 North and South America

City Nature Challenge 2024 Eurasia, Africa and Oceana

See how we got on in the UK’s on the 2024 leaderboard

What happened in 2023?

View pdf of the above graphic.

The City Nature Challenge in 2023 was once again a collaborative event with 482 cities from 46 countries taking part. In the UK, 22 urban areas took on the challenge. You can see the cities that took part on the City Nature Challenge UK Leaderboard. The leaderboard also includes observations made across the UK, so not in the CNC participating areas.

Observations that are included are those made between Friday 28 April and Monday 1 May 2023. When collating the results the figures were taken as at 9 am, local time, on Monday 8 May in each respective country. The week following the event was to allow time for observations to be added to iNaturalist and the community to identify observations to the highest level possible at that time.

The UK tally* for the UK cities registered for the City Nature Challenge is as follows:

Total Observations: 78,854

Total Species Recorded: 3,797

Number of Observers: 2,610

(*The tally is declared straight after the CNC weekend and whilst the numbers will change as observations are added after the date and more species are identified, this is the official reported figure for observations, species and observers.)

Worldwide, the most commonly recorded species was Mallard. Garlic Mustard, Common Daisy and Herb Robert topped our tally.

Blackbird, Mallard, Robin and Wood Pigeon topped our bird list. The 7-Spot Ladybird, Garden Snail and Common Carder Bee were also commonly observed. The Orange-Tip was the most observed butterfly.

To view the results in depth and see the current, up to date numbers, the UK City Nature Challenge species list is available on iNaturalistUK.

You can view the collective results from across the world on the Global Leaderboard 2023.

What happened in 2022?

The City Nature Challenge in 2022 was once again a collaborative event with 445 cities from 47 countries taking part. In the UK, 14 urban areas took on the challenge. You can see the cities that took part on the City Nature Challenge UK Leaderboard.

Observations that are included are those made between Friday 29 April and Monday 2 May 2022. When collating the results the figures were taken as at 9 am, local time, on Monday 9 May in each respective country. The week following the event was to allow time for observations to be added to iNaturalist and the community to identify observations to the highest level possible at that time.

The official UK tally for the UK cities registered for the City Nature Challenge is as follows:

Total Observations: 55,871

Total Species Recorded: 3,434

Number of Observers: 1,849

Worldwide, the most commonly recorded species was Common Dandelion. In the UK this was the fourth most recorded. Garlic Mustard, Cow Parsley and Herb Robert topped our tally.

Blackbird, Robin and Wood Pigeon topped our bird list. Harlequin Ladybirds, Common Carder Bee, 7-Spot Ladybird and Speckled Woods were also commonly observed.

To view the results in depth you can see the UK City Nature Challenge species list on iNaturalistUK.

You can view the collective results from across the world on the City Nature Challenge website.