The University of York is inviting residents to take part in the third annual York City Nature Challenge from 24 to 27 April 2026. Participants are encouraged to explore their local surroundings, photograph wildlife, and upload their findings to the free iNaturalist app to help record biodiversity across York.
The event is part of a global effort to document nature in cities, with participants playing a key role in tracking local species. Data submitted to the app that reaches a high level of accuracy is given “Research Grade” status and is shared with the Global Biodiversity Information Facility, where it is used by scientists to support research and future policy development.
York has seen significant success since first joining the challenge in 2024, when 221 participants recorded 12,833 observations and 1,487 different species, ranking the city first in the UK and 47th globally. The city maintained its lead on the UK leaderboard in 2025 by documenting 1,881 species over four days. This year, the challenge will also feature a new photography exhibition to celebrate the observations made by the community.
Smriti Safaya, a research associate at the Stockholm Environment Institute at the University of York, has led the city’s involvement since the inaugural event. The initiative is also supported by the York Climate Commission, an independent group dedicated to driving local nature recovery and climate actions as part of the city’s goal to reach net zero by 2030. Residents interested in taking part can find more information on the official event website.
About this article: This story was put together with the help of AI tools and checked by a real person on our team. We're a small crew trying to cover as much of the UK as we can on a limited budget. We're getting better every day - but we're not perfect yet. If something looks off, let us know. You're part of the process.
