More than 9,000 observations were made, with more than 1,500 species identified citywide, from parks to rooftops. Highlights included thousands of plants and birds, plus hedgehogs, insects, mosses, and fungi, revealing the city’s surprising biodiversity and the impact of community science.
New never observed species
The most exciting finding by far is the discovery of a new, tiny, millipede-like arthropod species that was never recorded in the Netherlands: Polypauropus duboscqi. This remarkable specimen was discovered in a soil sample taken in the Vliegenbos in Amsterdam North. It is only known from a few other European countries.
“This was a great success, and everyone who participated got hooked on the challenge”, says Lotte de Jeu, who was part of the organizing team for Amsterdam. Dr. Joscha Beninde initiated this year’s participation of Amsterdam, and this included many Section Ecology & Evolution members in the Amsterdam Institute for Life and Environment (A-LIFE) at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.
More than 3 million wildlife observations
Amsterdam was one of 669 cities that participated in the City Nature Challenge this year, distributed in 62 countries and on 6 continents, which jointly documented more than 3.3 million wildlife observations. More than 73,765 species were observed, with the Common Dandelion as the most popular worldwide, while the Common Swift earned the title as the most commonly observed in Amsterdam.
Largest urban dioversity event
The City Nature Challenge, launched in 2016 by the Natural History Museums of Los Angeles County and the California Academy of Sciences, has grown into the largest urban biodiversity event in the world. This year set new records, with over 3,000 rare species detected globally including the rediscovery of Phidiana unilineata, a sea slug not seen in 160 years, found in India.
Essential data
“Never in my wildest dreams did I expect the City Nature Challenge to grow and become the largest annual biodiversity census in the world'', says Lila Higgins, co-founder of the City Nature Challenge and Senior Manager of Community Science for the Natural History Museums of Los Angeles County. “It is amazing that over the course of 10 challenges, more than 364,000 community scientists have gathered more than 12 million observations around the world. This data is essential for the fight against biodiversity loss and to help us protect species.”
With this year’s success, Amsterdam is already looking ahead to next year’s challenge, eager to beat its own record and continue inspiring residents to explore and protect the city’s hidden nature.