Prague will participate in the 2020 City Nature Challenge kicking off today

Although strict quarantine measures are in place around the world, the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco and the Los Angeles Museum of Science have not canceled their annual City Nature Challenge, a worldwide event that encourages city dwellers to document urban biodiversity. 

In Prague, the National Museum organizes the challenge; it says despite the current COVID-19 restrictions in place the challenge will take place, kicking off today and ending on April 27. 

“This year will be a little more modest due to the current situation, but you can still go out into nature…or observe living organisms on your balconies or gardens,” a museum spokesperson said via a press statement.

Prague placed 40th out of 159 cities last year, with 446 people making 7,757 observations of 998 species.

This year’s event isn’t intended to be as competitive with organizers stressing that the number of observations doesn’t count as much as gaining knowledge of the “beauty and diversity of nature all around us.”

Two hundred cities have already registered worldwide for this year’s challenge. The first City Nature Challenge in 2016 was between the cities of Los Angeles and San Francisco. In 2018, the first international year took place, when 68 cities took part. 

With the easing of the restrictions on movement and the spring weather, the activity is a good way to spend a weekend, however, the museum asks participants to respect the current government regulations and behave responsibly in nature and in the city.