Mobilising Citizen Scientists Across Asia for a Groundbreaking Biodiversity Initiative from October 18 to 27.

CitizenScience.Asia is proud to announce the launch of the Asia Nature Challenge (ANC), a continent-wide citizen science event designed to significantly enhance biodiversity data collection across Asia. This two-part event will bring together participants from across Asia to document the region’s diverse flora and fauna. Participants will be encouraged to get out and take observations of their surrounding environments between October 18-21, and then there will be a focus on teaming up with experts between October 22-27 to do identifications on the observations collected.

Asia, home to some of the world’s most unique ecosystems, ranks third among continents in biodiversity observations on iNaturalist, a global biodiversity collection platform. However, when measured by per capita observations, the region lags behind other continents. With a population of over 4.7 billion, Asia has immense potential for citizen science contributions. Statistics from July 2023 to June 2024 show that Asia accounts for a smaller share of biodiversity observations per million people, despite being home to critical ecosystems and species diversity.

To address this disparity, the ANC aims to increase biodiversity records and encourage public involvement in nature conservation through citizen science. This initiative comes at a crucial time as more Asian nations recognize the importance of citizen contribution to conservation efforts. The ANC will also seek to boost involvement from areas that have been underrepresented in the past.

The Asia Nature Challenge will strengthen communities by promoting collaboration among environmental organisations, researchers, and citizen scientists. It will increase capacity towards biodiversity research through general public awareness and training. Furthermore, the initiative aims to expand on international conversations to ensure that Asia’s biodiversity receives the attention it deserves.

How to Participate

For both budding and veteran citizen scientists, participating is easy with a free account at iNaturalist. Visit inaturalist.org from your browser, or download iNaturalist app from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store to create your account.

Participants At Large:

Observation: October 18-21, 2024

Find Biodiversity: Look for any plant, animal, or signs of life in your city / area.
Take a Picture: Capture a photo of your discovery and make note of its location.
Share Your Findings: Upload your observations to iNaturalist.

Identification: October 22-27, 2024

Survey Observations: See which observations have not been identified in iNaturalist.
Provide Identification or Categorisation: Suggest at minimal a high-level group like “plants,” “insects,” “birds,” or “fungi” for unidentified observations.
Review Suggestions: Confirm or correct any identification suggestions already made.

Collaborating Organisations:

Through this event, interested organisations will also be invited to collaborate, coordinate, and lead local engagement efforts. CitizenScience.Asia will facilitate necessary resources, including training material and educational support, to ensure organisers and participants have a seamless experience. This initiative promises to be a pivotal moment for conservation efforts across Asia, generating valuable data that will support biodiversity management and policy-making for years to come.

Be Part of the Change

For more information on how to participate or become a collaborating organiser, please visit https://citizenscience.asia/naturechallenge. Further details about the Asia Nature Challenge will be provided on the website, along with all necessary educational resources to ensure a successful event.

About CitizenScience.Asia

CitizenScience.Asia is a leading platform dedicated to promoting citizen science efforts across Asia. By connecting communities, researchers, and organisations, it works to improve the capacity for biodiversity data collection and advance sustainability conversations through initiatives like the Asia Nature Challenge.

Voices of Support and Collaboration

The Asia Nature Challenge is a collective effort that extends beyond a single body. Brought together with the support of leading organisations dedicated to biodiversity and conservation, this initiative embodies a collaborative approach to biodiversity conservation. The following section highlights insights and statements from our esteemed supporters:

“The City Nature Challenge (CNC) global organizing teams at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County and California Academy of Sciences are very excited about the launch of the Asia Nature Challenge and to celebrate the large-scale engagement. Like the Great Southern Bioblitz, the Asia Nature Challenge is another international community science effort demonstrating the powerful model that CNC has become. We support the ANC organizers and all participants in their endeavor!”

LILA HIGGINS, Co-Director & Founder, the City Nature Challenge

“We’re excited to see more people sharing what they find on iNaturalist. Asia has some of the world’s most biodiverse countries and more than half of the world’s population. There are so many species yet to be described, and so many species are poorly known. The Asia Nature Challenge is a great opportunity to get to know what lives near you, and you might be surprised by what you find when you start paying closer attention!”

CARRIE SELTZER, PhD, Head of Engagement, iNaturalist

“The Asia Nature Challenge enables both trained and amateur observers of nature in the region to connect with millions of other people around the world who are equally fascinated by the ‘endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful’ of life on Earth. By cultivating the practice of citizen science, the event can link our individual and local concerns for the natural world to global efforts to provide the evidence needed to understand and protect biodiversity.”

KYLE COPAS, Communications Manager, Global Biodiversity Information Facility

“The Asia Nature Challenge is a great opportunity to engage people of all ages in citizen science. It celebrates backyard biodiversity; I hope the fervor with which people participate continues. The format of friendly competition across cities globally makes this an inclusive, fun event to raise awareness on planet-critical issues like ‘biodiversity loss’ & ‘urban wildlife.’ Indian cities are all set to make their mark on the world stage this year.”

NEHA RAGHAV, Director of Environment Education, WWF-India

“The Asia Nature Challenge 2024 is an exciting initiative. There is so much amazing biodiversity on our doorsteps – I hope that many citizen scientists will go out, explore, and observe nature around them. This will not only increase our biodiversity knowledge but will also help to foster the next generation of environmental stewards in Asia.“

DR. YANNICK KUEHL, Executive Director, Asia Pacific, National Geographic Society

“Being an Asian-based open-science publisher facilitating the sharing of data from many Citizen Science projects, we are excited to see the Asia Nature Challenge help mobilize citizens to better understand their environment, and fill biodiversity data gaps in the world’s largest and most populous continent.”

SCOTT EDMUNDS, PhD, Editor in Chief, GigaScience Press

Media Queries

This Press Release can also be found in PDF format here. If there are any discrepancies between the PDF version and this online page, this page prevails.

For any specific questions or queries, please direct them to anc-info@citizenscience.asia.

The hashtags #AsiaNatureChallenge and #CitSciANC2024 will be used for this event and can be found on the following social media platforms: