Sagamihara City Invites Participation in Global 'Creature Survey' for Biodiversity Enthusiasts

Sagamihara City, Kanagawa Prefecture, in collaboration with the Sagamihara City Environmental Information Center 'Ecopark Sagamihara' and Azabu University's High School-University Collaboration and Social Cooperation Program Development Center, will implement a citizen-participatory event, 'Global Simultaneous! Creature Survey in Sagamihara,' to record living organisms such as plants, insects, and birds found in the city using a smartphone app. This initiative aims to raise citizens' awareness of biodiversity conservation and collect data for biodiversity research. The event is part of the 'City Nature Challenge (CNC),' an international effort where cities worldwide observe and record living organisms during the same period. The collected observation records will be registered in a global database as reference material to understand what living organisms inhabit Sagamihara City, contributing to the understanding and protection of the natural environment. Participants can enjoy benefits such as their records becoming global research data, sharing information about living organisms with people worldwide, and identifying local species. Those interested in biodiversity are encouraged to participate. The event period is from Friday, April 24, 2026, to Monday, April 27, 2026. Participants observe and photograph living organisms (plants, insects, birds, fish, etc.) inhabiting Sagamihara City and record the photos in the free smartphone app 'iNaturalist.' The app's AI automatically suggests species names. Step 1: Install the official CNC 'iNaturalist' app and register as a user. Step 2: Observe, photograph, and record living organisms in Sagamihara City between April 24 (Fri) and April 27 (Mon). Optional: After installing the 'iNaturalist' app, registering for 'Project CNC Central Kanagawa Area 2026' will provide useful information (search for 'City Nature Challenge 2026:Central Kanagawa' in the app). Information sessions for app usage will be held on April 18 (Sat) from 13:00 to 15:00 at Ecopark Sagamihara, and on April 19 (Sun) from 13:00 to 15:00 at Azabu University Lecture Hall. A 'Creature Identification Session' to identify species and names of organisms observed and recorded in 'iNaturalist' during this event will be held on May 9 (Sat). Details will be announced later on the Ecopark Sagamihara website.