The 2024 City Nature Challenge results are in!
Published on 22 May 2024
Musk lorikeet by suz1966 on iNaturalist
Thank you to everyone who helped record and identify over 200 species in Maroondah during the four days of the 2024 City Nature Challenge. Your observations will help make our city an even better place to live - for you and other species.
Each year, the City Nature Challenge encourages people across the globe to become citizen scientists by finding, photographing and recording the native plants, animals and fungi in their local areas. Over 65,000 species were identified in more than 2.4 million observations during this year’s challenge, which ran from Friday 26 April to Monday 29 April.
Maroondah recorded 604 observations of 208 different species. Maroondah’s most observed species included the Australian Magpie, Rainbow Lorikeet and Crimson Rosella, while 26 species were recorded for the first time in iNaturalist in Maroondah.
Mayor of Maroondah, Councillor Kylie Spears, thanked community members for supporting local biodiversity.
“It was wonderful to see residents participating in the City Nature Challenge. Thank you to everyone who took part,” Cr Spears said.
“By participating in citizen science events like the City Nature Challenge, you are helping Council, local environmentalists, scientists and land managers build a record of the range and distribution of species in Maroondah. This will help us to better understand, protect and support local biodiversity.”
Maroondah also collaborated with 24 metropolitan Councils to represent Greater Melbourne in the global challenge, which was divided into two umbrella projects this year due to growth - Eurasia, Africa and Oceania, and North and South America.
Greater Melbourne participated in the Eurasia, Africa and Oceania project and finished 17th overall, with 13,649 observations. 862 observers recorded 2,080 species on behalf of Greater Melbourne, with Maroondah recording the fifth highest number of observations (604) of the Greater Melbourne Councils.
Visit our Discovering Nature page for updates on Maroondah’s involvement in future citizen science events.
2024 City Nature Challenge results
The City Nature Challenge has grown and was divided into two umbrella projects in 2024 to fit all of the participating cities.
The results for Maroondah and Greater Melbourne were recorded as part of the Eurasia, Africa and Oceania umbrella project.
Overall global results
- 2,436,844 observations
- 65,682 species
- 83,528 observers
Overall Eurasia, Africa and Oceania results:
- 897,714 observations
- 37,286 species
- 22,779 observers
See Overall Eurasia, Africa and Oceania results
Greater Melbourne results
- 13,649 observations (17th out of Eurasia, Africa and Oceania, 42nd globally)
- 2,080 species (16th out of Eurasia, Africa and Oceania, 41st globally)
- 862 observers (4th out of Eurasia, Africa and Oceania, 23rd globally)
See all Greater Melbourne results
Maroondah results
- 604 observations (5th of the 25 Greater Melbourne Councils)
- 208 species, including 26 species recorded for the first time (6th of the 25 Greater Melbourne Councils)
- 51 observers (4th of the 25 Greater Melbourne Councils)
See Maroondah results
Observations
The top 5 most observed species in Maroondah were:
- Australian Magpie (Gymnorhina tibicen)
- Rainbow Lorikeet (Trichoglossus moluccanus)
- Crimson Rosella (Platycercus elegans)
- Australian Wood Duck (Chenonetta jubata)
- Laughing Kookaburra (Dacelo novaeguineae)