THE City of Surrey is taking part in the global City Nature Challenge from April 29 to May 2 providing residents with an opportunity to help measure biodiversity in the community. Taking part is easy. Participants simply take pictures of wildlife or plants and share the observations through the iNaturalist App.  

Cities across the world will be recognized for the number of observations and participants, with some friendly competition between cities in Metro Vancouver. More importantly, the data collected will track changes affecting the environment and inform the understanding of what actions are needed to address those changes.   

Biodiversity is the variety of life on earth – the plants, animals and microscopic organisms and the habitats they all rely on to survive. Maintaining healthy, diverse ecosystems is vital for life-sustaining natural services like clean water and healthy soil.   

The City Nature Challenge is one of the many programs highlighted in this year’s Environmental Extravaganza, a series of free family-friendly environmental programs that runs from April to June throughout Surrey. A full list of events and activities can be found in the ‘Get Outside Guide,’ available at Surrey libraries or recreational facilities, or at surrey.ca/extravaganza.   

For more information on the City Nature Challenge and biodiversity conservation in Surrey visit surrey.ca/citizenscience.