15 May, 2026

There is more nature in our cities than we often realise. This year’s City Nature Challenge showed what becomes visible when people take the time to notice it, delivering impressive results that deepen our understanding of urban biodiversity and neatly reflect this year’s International Day for Biodiversity theme of acting locally for global impact.

With over 700 participating locations around the world, the City Nature Challenge has become a global community science initiative. Using the free iNaturalist app, participants photograph plants, animals, fungi, or insects in their local area and upload them as observations. A photo on a lunch break or a weekend walk could become part of a worldwide effort to understand and protect urban biodiversity, with no specialist knowledge required.

Since its origins as a friendly rivalry between Los Angeles and San Francisco in 2016, the City Nature Challenge has grown into an annual international campaign, and participation continues to rise. In 2026, participants contributed over 3 million observations, recording over 80,000 species globally.

Taken together, the collected observations help reveal where nature is thriving in cities, where it is under pressure, and how urban environments can better support life. Scientists, land managers, and conservation organisations use this data to strengthen understanding of urban ecosystems and inform more effective decision‑making. Increasingly, this kind of granular, place‑based insight is also relevant for businesses, by supporting better planning, risk assessment, and responses to growing expectations around nature and biodiversity.

As attention turns to the International Day for Biodiversity on 22 May, the success of the City Nature Challenge is an encouraging signal. It shows how local engagement can generate global insight, and how understanding nature in cities is becoming a shared foundation for better decisions, more resilient places, and a future where nature is firmly on the agenda.

 

By Hillevi Fock