City Nature Challenge 2026: Join the Global Photo Safari to Document Biodiversity in Austria’s Steiermark, Vorarlberg, and Beyond

The City Nature Challenge 2026, an annual global initiative encouraging citizens to document urban biodiversity through photography, is underway with participation from cities across Europe and beyond. Running from April 24 to April 27, 2026, the event invites people to observe and record wild plants, animals, and fungi in their local environments using the iNaturalist platform.

Organized by the Community Science teams at the California Academy of Sciences and the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, the City Nature Challenge has grown since its inception in 2016 into an international four-day bioblitz. This year marks the 11th iteration of the challenge, with observations contributing to scientific research on biodiversity and urban ecosystems.

In Austria, regional events are highlighting local participation. In Vorarlberg, officials are encouraging residents to showcase the region’s species richness through the initiative, with calls to “show the world how species-rich Vorarlberg is.” Similar efforts are underway in Styria, where the “City Nature Challenge” is being promoted as a photo safari opportunity for citizens to engage with nature in their communities.

In Germany, the Museum für Naturkunde in Berlin is hosting a local event at Tempelhofer Feld, inviting the public to document species diversity on the former airport grounds. Meanwhile, public broadcasters such as BR are examining the broader impact of citizen science efforts like bird counts and biodiversity surveys, questioning what tangible outcomes such initiatives bring to conservation and policy.

Across participating regions, organizers emphasize that only wild, uncultivated species qualify for observation — excluding pets, zoo animals, and cultivated plants. Participants are instructed to take clear photos or audio recordings, note the location, and upload their findings via iNaturalist during the observation window. The identification and verification phase will run from April 28 to May 10, 2026, with results announced on May 13.

By turning everyday citizens into contributors to scientific data, the City Nature Challenge continues to support global efforts to monitor and understand changes in urban biodiversity, reinforcing the role of community science in environmental research.