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The Campus Nature Challenge is an annual worldwide “bioblitz” – a short, intensive period where people work together to record as many species as possible.

Taking place from 24-27 April 2026, the challenge brings together universities across the globe, all working to document biodiversity, from plants and insects to birds and fungi!

How it works

Taking part is simple, and no experience is needed.

Participants use the free iNaturalist app to:

• Spot wildlife – anywhere from campus green spaces to your walk to lectures
• Record observations – take photos or audio of plants, animals, and fungi
• Identify species – with help from the app and a global community of experts

Each observation contributes to a growing, open-access dataset that supports biodiversity research and conservation.

Get involved on campus

As part of the Campus Nature Challenge, we’re running a butterfly and pollinator surveying session on Monday 27 April (1-4pm).

This is a great opportunity to:

• Learn how to identify pollinators
• Contribute to real biodiversity data collection
• Spend time outdoors with others
• Build skills in ecological monitoring

No prior experience is needed, just curiosity and a willingness to get involved. We’ll also use this session as a broader bioblitz for anyone interested in recording nature on campus.

If you can’t make this session, we’re also running an Earthworm surveying session on Monday 20 April (1-4pm).

Be part of something bigger

Whether you join a guided session or log observations in your own time, every contribution counts. You can also take part in the wider City Nature Challenge during the same period – spot, record, and identify species in your local urban area.

These sessions are part of our wider work to boost biodiversity monitoring through Nature Sense. Read more about this here.

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