In April 2025, our small island Curaçao made its debut on the stage of the City Nature Challenge. A simple remark between two friends with modest ambitions turned into a movement that surpassed all expectations!
This is yet another example of how a small idea can create a big wave of positive change.
City Nature Challenge Curaçao continues to be organized voluntarily by Cindy Eman, Nadina Galle, and Femi Meaux, in collaboration with schools, NGOs, businesses, volunteers, and government institutions.
The CNC is a four-day global citizen science event, organized by the California Academy of Sciences and the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, that invites people around the world to document local biodiversity using the iNaturalist app.
Founded in 2016, the 2025 edition marked the CNC’s tenth year, attracting participation from more than 600 cities and regions worldwide. Together, they collected over 3.3 million observations from more than 100,000 participants, identifying nearly 75,000 species — of which almost 3,500 were rare, endangered or threatened.
For Curaçao, the CNC was more than just a biodiversity survey: it was a movement to connect people with nature, to empower schools and communities, and to contribute scientific data that will directly benefit environmental policy, conservation, and public health.
Objectives of CNC Curaçao
- Raise awareness of Curaçao’s rich but vulnerable biodiversity.
- Engage youth and schools in nature-based science and technology.
- Empower communities to take ownership of nature conservation.
- Collect biodiversity data for use in research, monitoring, and policy.
- Strengthen health and well-being by encouraging people to spend time in nature.
- Position Curaçao internationally as a leader in Caribbean biodiversity monitoring.
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