Log an observation on iNaturalist

Why it matters

Biodiversity science has a geographic coverage problem. Professional surveys are expensive, slow, and concentrated in easily accessible areas. Backyards, urban parks, farmland margins, and roadside verges are almost entirely unmonitored. Citizen science fills this gap.

iNaturalist now holds over 300 million observations of more than 550,000 species. Research-grade observations feed directly into the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF), where they are used in over 7,000 peer-reviewed research papers on species distributions, population trends, and the impacts of climate change. Your photograph of a beetle in your garden is genuine scientific data.

How to do it

1. 1Download iNaturalist: free on iOS and Android, or use the web at inaturalist.org.
2. 2Create an account: takes two minutes. A username is all you need.
3. 3Photograph anything: any organism: plant, insect, bird, fungus, lichen, spider. Take a clear photo from multiple angles if you can.
4. 4Submit your observation: add the location (GPS is automatic on mobile) and let the AI suggest an identification. You can leave it as "unknown" and the community will help.
5. 5Engage with the community: confirm or question identifications on others' observations. The more you interact, the faster observations reach "research grade" and enter the scientific record.