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What is citizen science:

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The collection and analysis of data relating to the natural world by members of the general public, typically as part of a collaborative project with professional scientists.
You don’t need to be an expert in a subject to become a Citizen Scientist and make a meaningful contribution to scientific research in a wide variety of topics in the natural environment. The “citizen science” movement is gathering momentum, as scientists, policymakers, and the public themselves recognize that everyday people can make meaningful contributions to research.

Why become a Citizen Scientist?

Ismail Ebrahim of Custodians of Rate and Endangered Wildflowers (CREW) says “Citizen science has played a significant role in collecting biodiversity data in South Africa” And goes on to add “There are many examples of successful programmes that have generated impressive biodiversity datasets and contributed to distribution mapping, understanding population trends and conservation prioritization. Projects like the Bird Atlas, Protea Atlas, Southern African Reptiles and Amphibians (SARCA), Custodians of Rare and Endangered Wildflowers (CREW) Programme, etc have demonstrated the value of citizen scientists to the conservation of our natural heritage. Advances in technology also provide new opportunities to connect and share observations and have made it possible to engage a wider community for more varied projects. These technologies and citizen science projects have engaged members of the public in innovative ways and provided many opportunities for informal education”.
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How it works

 
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01.

Record your observations
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02.

Share with fellow naturalists
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03.

Discuss your findings
 
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Connect with Nature!

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One of the world’s most popular nature apps, iNaturalist helps you identify the plants and animals around you. Get connected with a community of over 750,000 scientists and naturalists who can help you learn more about nature! What’s more, by recording and sharing your observations, you’ll create research quality data for scientists working to better understand and protect nature. iNaturalist is a joint initiative by the California Academy of Sciences and the National Geographic Society. That's the vision behind iNaturalist. So if you like recording your findings from the outdoors, or if you just like learning about life, join us!

A Little History

iNaturalist.org began as the Master's final project of Nate Agrin, Jessica Kline, and Ken-ichi Ueda at UC Berkeley's School of Information in 2008. Nate and Ken-ichi continued working on the site after graduation, with some additional help from Sean McGregor. Ken-ichi began collaborating with Scott Loarie in 2011, when they organized as iNaturalist, LLC and began expanding the site through numerous collaborations. In 2014 iNaturalist became an initiative of the California Academy of Sciences and a joint initiative with National Geographic Society in 2017.

Contribute to Science

Every observation can contribute to biodiversity science, from the rarest butterfly to the most common backyard weed. We share your findings with scientific data repositories like the Global Biodiversity Information Facility to help scientists find and use your data. All you have to do is observe.
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