Dubai residents are being invited to have their mobile phones at the ready to join an international effort to document urban wildlife and deepen understanding of biodiversity.
The annual City Nature Challenge got under way on Friday, with nature-lovers from hundreds of cities invited to photograph and record wild plants, animals and fungi using the iNaturalist app.
Dubai's debut in the major conservation campaign, which runs until April 28, was announced at Expo City Dubai and is being led by the Terra Pavilion in collaboration with Emirates Nature-WWF. The data will feed into an international database used by scientists and conservationists to track species.
"The City Nature Challenge is present in over 650 cities, and it's the very first time that Dubai is participating," said Sheena Khan, head of environment programmes for education and culture at Expo City Dubai. Cities such as Singapore, Cape Town and Tokyo have secured their spots on the leaderboard in previous years. The aim is to log the highest number of observations, species and participants – turning a simple walk into a step towards global recognition.
"We are expecting globally to have over three million observations or data points collected and over 100,000 citizen scientists – so people like you and I – participating to engage and notice nature." The target for Dubai is 5,000 new research-grade observations on iNaturalist.
No experience needed – just a phone and curiosity
At heart, the challenges are about making conservation accessible. Citizen science, Ms Khan says, is a simple but powerful way for members of the public, regardless of age or occupation, to contribute to conservation by cataloguing and collecting their observations. "It can be flora, fauna or fungi," she explained.
"You don't need to know what it is," Ms Khan told The National. "The technology behind the application can help identify what it is, and then on the back end, there's a bunch of scientists that are verifying that data." Participants can join from anywhere – be it a park, balcony or backyard – and simply start snapping.
"One of the best techniques, I find, is to sit on a bench and let the nature come to you. So sit back and spend time just peacefully in nature," said Phillip Dunn, senior manager for sustainability, education and culture at Expo City Dubai. "Take pictures of it, upload it. And that's part of the science."
Urban nature in focus
Dubai's urban environment may seem unlikely terrain for wildlife, but Mr Dunn explained that arid cities are their own kind of ecosystem. "Arid cities are a different animal, right? A different creature altogether … because in many ways, they are creating some nature that wasn't there before."
On Friday morning, Terra kicked off the four-day event with a guided "bioblitz" around the Expo site, encouraging residents to begin documenting native flora and fauna. Among the finds: butterflies, pollinators, the purple sunbird, paper wasps and Arabian red dwarf honeybees.
“Nature doesn’t start at the edge of a forest – it’s all around us,” added Arabella Willing, head of conservation outreach and citizen science from Emirates Nature-WWF. “This initiative empowers people to become scientists in their own communities. The data collected has real-world impact.”
Data that shapes cities and global science
The biodiversity data collected is open-source and contributes to global conservation efforts, including the IUCN Red List of threatened species.
"When a scientist sits down to do an IUCN assessment, they use all of the data that's accessible through literature, and that data includes a search of iNaturalist for citizen science data," Ms Khan said. "Scientists can't do it alone, so they need the help of us, citizens and residents."
Mr Dunn said that the data also informs local urban design. "If we know what's here, we can use cities to be catalysts." Mr Dunn and Ms Khan explained that such data can help urban planners know how best to design cities to help support global biodiversity.
Participants are encouraged to enter a social media competition by tagging @visitterra.ae for a chance to win tickets to Terra and be featured in an exhibition.
Mr Dunn hopes the initiative will spark long-term behavioural shifts. "For the longest time, people thought a beautiful garden was a sculpted hedge – but maybe the new aesthetic is a little wild patch," he said. "A little wild area can attract a lot of wildlife."
How to take part
- Download the free iNaturalist app
- Join the City Nature Challenges 2025: Dubai
- Photograph and upload any wild species between April 25 and April 28
Final global results will be announced on May 5. In the meantime, Ms Khan hopes people across the UAE will step outside and help show the world what nature looks like in Dubai.
