For four days this November, South Africans will be called to photograph everything from beetles and birds to mushrooms, flowers and frogs as part of the biggest nature survey on this side of the planet!
South Africa (23 August 2026) – Cameras at the ready, nature lovers! The Great Southern BioBlitz is making its comeback for this year by inviting everyday people to help document the incredible amount of life sharing our corner of the planet.
You do not need to be a scientist, own an expensive camera or know the difference between 17 varieties of beetle. A cellphone and a willingness to look around will do just fine.
For context, a BioBlitz is essentially a big nature survey squeezed into a short space of time. From 27 to 30 November 2026, people across the Southern Hemisphere will head outdoors and record as many wild living things as possible using iNaturalist.
That means birds and bokkies, for sure. But it also means spiders, insects, grasses, wildflowers, fungi, frogs, reptiles, lichens, marine life and that suspicious-looking little weed growing through the pavement.
The result creates a giant snapshot of what is living where at the same time.
The Great Southern BioBlitz is an exciting time of year in South Africa especially. Last year’s survey saw South Africans upload a whopping 103,380 observations covering 12,434 different taxa, with 1733 people taking part!
In fact, South Africa alone contributed more than a third of all observations recorded worldwide. That was more observations than any other participating country listed in the final results, even Australia, where the Great Southern BioBlitz first began.
The survey matters because every photograph becomes a little piece of biodiversity information. An observation records what was spotted, where it was found and when it was there. Once thousands of those records are brought together, researchers can start seeing bigger patterns.
That valuable data can help track invasive species, document threatened plants and animals, confirm where certain species still occur and even rediscover species that have not been recorded for years!
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How to Join the Great Southern BioBlitz (It’s Easy!)
Joining is super simple. All you need to do is create a free iNaturalist account or download the app and find the Great Southern BioBlitz 2026 project for your area. Local projects are still being added ahead of November.
Then, between 27 and 30 November, start snapping wild things.
Gardens, neighbourhoods, parks, beaches, rock pools, rivers and reserves are all fair game. You can even record animal tracks, nests, feathers and sounds.
If you know what you found, great. If you have absolutely no idea, also great. Upload it under a broader category such as ‘Insects’ or ‘Plants’, and the iNaturalist community can help narrow it down.
The important thing is actually not to guess just for the sake of giving something a name.
Participants will then have until 14 December to upload their photographs and help identify what everybody found.
That’s it! That’s how you can become a nature recorder and live out your fieldwork dreams for four days.
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