The City Nature Challenge 2026 is back
ISPRA’s participation
From April 24 to 27, 2026, the City Nature Challenge (CNC) returns—an international event that invites citizens to observe and document plants and animals in urban areas, contributing to the collection of data useful for scientific research and the management of urban biodiversity.
The CNC combines the practicality of technology with the beauty of nature: thanks to the digital platform iNaturalist,, which can be downloaded for free on computers or smartphones, users can record the GPS coordinates of their sightings and identify the observed animal or plant species by uploading a photograph.
Each year, participating cities compete to record the highest number of nature observations: citizens can contribute independently or by taking part in the various local initiatives organized in participating cities.
- https://www.isprambiente.gov.it/en/news/the-city-nature-challenge-2026-is-back
- The City Nature Challenge 2026 is back
- 2026-04-24T00:00:00+02:00
- 2026-04-27T23:59:59+02:00
- ISPRA’s participation From April 24 to 27, 2026, the City Nature Challenge (CNC) returns—an international event that invites citizens to observe and document plants and animals in urban areas, contributing to the collection of data useful for scientific research and the management of urban biodiversity. The CNC combines the practicality of technology with the beauty of nature: thanks to the digital platform iNaturalist , , which can be downloaded for free on computers or smartphones, users can record the GPS coordinates of their sightings and identify the observed animal or plant species by uploading a photograph. Each year, participating cities compete to record the highest number of nature observations: citizens can contribute independently or by taking part in the various local initiatives organized in participating cities.
- When Apr 24, 2026 to Apr 27, 2026 (Europe/Berlin / UTC200)
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At the national level, the initiative is supported by numerous public administrations, universities, museums, natural parks, and public research institutions, including ISPRA, which collaborate in promoting public bioblitzes and activities aimed at schools.
The Institute, in collaboration with the Museo Regionale di Scienze Naturali di Torino, is organizing for the second year two events dedicated to observing different taxonomic groups—from plants to birds, from rotifers to geckos. A special focus on exotic or non-native species is also planned, thanks to the scientific contribution of one of the Institute’s researchers. The activities will take place on the evening of April 25 and during the day on April 26 in an important green area of the city of Turin: the Parco Colonnetti.
The Institute is also collaborating on initiatives promoted by the Parco Regionale dei Castelli Romani, a partner of the National Biodiversity Network. These include educational activities at a local school and a bioblitz in an urban park. For the metropolitan area of Rome, CNC activities are coordinated by the Accademia Nazionale delle Scienze detta dei XL, which provides an interactive map of all initiatives taking place across Rome and its province.
Citizens will have until May 10, 2026, to upload observations made during the four days of the challenge, and on May 13 the overall results will be announced, including: the highest number of observations recorded, the greatest number of different species identified, and the number of participants involved.
The goal of the CNC is to highlight the importance of biodiversity conservation: collaboration between researchers and citizens in monitoring flora and fauna species represents a valuable opportunity to deepen knowledge of nature, even within urban environments.
Programs of the mentioned initiatives and registration links are available on the websites and social media channels of the participating organizations.
For more information about the CNC, watch the video.