29-04-2025
State ranks 4th in nature challenge
Panaji:
The
City Nature Challenge
in Goa concluded on Monday with the state documenting nearly 13,000 biodiversity species in a
biodiversity mapping initiative
. The global City Nature Challenge saw volunteers help in identifying and recording species of birds, odonates and other biodiversity in their surroundings during the four-day period of the challenge. Due to Goa's geographic area, the whole state's biodiversity is considered as one city.
Goa secured the fourth position nationally, trailing behind Telangana (33,155), Kerala (15,756), and Eluru in Andhra Pradesh (13,686), as of now. The nationwide effort saw the participation of 2,892 observers across the country. Goa, however, did better than some 'cities' such as Delhi NCR (12,035), Nanakmatta in Uttarakhand (11,133), Coimbatore (9,890), and Darjeeling (8,027).
The participants, comprising 151 observers, recorded living organisms around them by taking a picture and uploading it on the
iNaturalist app
on their smartphones. So far, the app has uploads of wildlife such as Tufted Grey Langur (Semnopithecus priam) and the Nilgiri Langur (Semnopithecus johnii), varying species of spiders, reptiles, birds and insects, besides different varieties of fruits and flowers.
The challenge is expected to contribute towards the understanding of biodiversity. By getting the images identified and validated, participants will contribute towards creating a database for their locality.
