These days there’s an app for everything!
iNaturalist is one of the most exciting I’ve come across and its depth and power are immense. Launched in 2008 in the USA, it is a non-profit social network of naturalists, citizen scientists and biologists built on the concept of mapping and sharing observations of biodiversity across the globe. iNaturalist may be accessed via its website or from its mobile applications and it’s lots of fun!
iNaturalist is like a virtual museum where citizen scientists from around the world post observations of living organisms. A collaboration of observers from around the world, including ordinary people, scientists and conservationists, contribute out of interest, to get identifications, or in order to learn more about animals, plants and fungi. South Africa has made significant contributions with over 1 million observations covering over 16 000 species of plants, 2 250 species of birds, mammals and herpetofauna, 7 400 invertebrates and nearly 850 fungi species!
An annual four-day global urban bioblitz, the 2024 City Nature Challenge from April 26 to 29, is gearing up to be the biggest one yet and it’s open to everyone.
Our district has been registered, and with our wonderful biodiversity and natural assets it’s a fantastic way to contribute to better information and therefore management of these.
All our local conservancies are involved and ready to share and learn, there is a huge amount of information online and for those who want personal training, everyone is welcome to join Bendigo Conservation Group on Sunday, April 21 for a training session with Paddy Norman of WESSA.
Some projects to join on iNaturalist: Biodiversity of Southern Africa, South African Red List: Plants and Animals, NEMBA Alien Species (South Africa), City Nature Challenge 2024: Southern Africa, City Nature Challenge 2024: KZN South Coast or the Southern African Garden Biodiversity.
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