20/04/2026
🐒 Be a Citizen Scientist This 24 to 27 April 2026
Since 2018, the Klang Valley has actively participated in the global City Nature Challenge (CNC), and 2026 marks its 11th edition worldwide. This annual international event brings together communities across cities to document urban biodiversity within a focused four-day period.
The CNC invites everyone, from students and researchers to families and the public, to explore their surroundings and record wildlife found in parks, campuses, neighbourhoods, and urban green spaces. In a highly urbanised region such as Klang Valley, these observations help reveal the richness of biodiversity that exists alongside development.
🍀 Key Dates for CNC 2026
Observation period: 24 to 27 April 2026
Upload and identification: 28 April to 10 May 2026
Results announcement: 13 May 2026
🍀 What Should You Observe?
Participants are encouraged to document wild organisms. This includes plants, animals, fungi, lichens, and evidence such as feathers, shells, or animal tracks. “Wild” means the organism is not planted, kept, or maintained by people.
🍀 In the Klang Valley context, this could include:
Birds in urban parks such as Taman Rimba Kiara.
Insects and pollinators in university campuses such as Universiti Malaya.
Urban wildlife in neighbourhood green corridors and drainage ecosystems.
Observations of pets, zoo animals, or cultivated plants such as garden or potted plants will not count toward the challenge. These should still be marked as “captive or cultivated” when uploaded.
🍀 Don’t Know the Species? That’s Okay
You do not need to be an expert to participate. Take clear photos and upload them using iNaturalist. The platform uses artificial intelligence to suggest possible identifications, and a global community will help verify them.
🍀 To improve data quality:
Add a basic category such as plant, bird, or insect if unsure.
Only identify to the level you are confident in.
Avoid leaving observations as “unknown”.
🍀 Why It Matters
All observations contribute to a global open-access database used by scientists, conservationists, and policymakers.
By participating, Klang Valley residents contribute to a global effort while helping build a clearer picture of Malaysia’s urban biodiversity, one observation at a time.
