2022 sees Luxembourg's fourth participation in this global Citizen Science competition.

As citizen science initiatives – which provide a safe way to connect people to nature and each other – continue to grow in popularity, the sixth edition of the City Nature Challenge meanwhile extends to more than 400 regions across six continents. Starting Friday 29 April 2020 at 00:00 for each time zone, the challenge runs until Monday 2 May 2022 at 23:59. 

Luxembourg's National Museum of Natural History and its partners are encouraging all residents to participate in one of the many activities being organised across the country.

This annual global event, initiated and coordinated internationally by the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco and the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, calls on all nature and science enthusiasts, as well as people of all ages and education levels to observe and submit photos of wild plants, animals and fungi using the free iNaturalist mobile app. From Friday 29 April to Monday 2 May, participants can make their observations using the app, with identifications taking place from Tuesday 3 May to Sunday 8 May; the final results will be announced on Monday 9 May.

For Luxembourg, the National Museum of Natural History is the national coordinator with its location partners: SICONA, SIAS, Minett UNESCO Biosphere, Natur- & Geopark Mëllerdall, Naturpark Our, Naturpark Öewersauer, LIST, FRAMEWORK, IMS, Bee Together and natur&ëmwelt Sektioun Stad.

The National Museum of Natural History of Luxembourg will be – for the fourth time in 2022 – the Luxembourg partner of this global challenge. Observations made throughout Luxembourg will be allowed in the challenge to ensure that everyone can participate without necessarily having to travel too far from their home.

Also, in response to the pandemic, this year's challenge will not be focused on competition, but rather on global collaboration. It is estimated that more than 50,000 people worldwide will participate. Entry is free-of-charge. For scientists and amateurs alike, it is easy to participate:

• Find wild fauna and flora in your house, neighbourhood, garden or elsewhere! It can be any wild plant, animal, fungus, slime mould, or other evidence of life, such as droppings, fur, tracks, shells or carcasses.

• Take pictures of what you find using iNaturalist. A powerful image recognition algorithm will help identify what was seen. Use the helpful iNaturalist video tutorials on the National Museum of Natural History's YouTube channel.

• Learn more as sightings occur and are identified and validated by the global iNaturalis community.

For more information:

- Internationally: https//citynaturechallenge.org
- Nationally: https://www.mnhn.lu/blog/2022/04/city-nature-challenge-2022-luxembourg