About iNaturalistUK

iNaturalist UK is a community for UK nature lovers where you can record your own nature observations and get help identifying them. Take a picture of the plant you see or record the bird you hear - iNaturalist is suitable for all species around the world! The recorded findings are available and usable by researchers, authorities and anyone interested in nature. By recording your nature observations, you can help with research and conservation within the UK and the world!

iNaturalistUK is a member of the iNaturalist network and is co-ordinated in the UK by the National Biodiversity Network Trust (NBN Trust) with the support of the Marine Biological Association (MBA) and the Biological Records Centre (BRC)

iNaturalistUK 2022 Year in Review

iNaturalistUK 2021 Year in Review

What happens to my iNaturalistUK sightings?

All records on iNaturalist from within the UK that reach ‘research’ grade are shared with GBIF, the Global Biodiversity Information Facility, where they can be freely viewed and downloaded subject to licensing conditions. Researchers, local environmental records centres, wildlife trusts and other conservation organisations may also view and use the data to increase their knowledge and understanding of the UK’s biodiversity. View the UK stats.

To make sure your observations can be used as widely as possible in the UK change your observation licence to CCO or CC-BY. Read more on the iNaturalistUK blog.  To change your licence go to Account Settings > Content & Display.

Being part of the iNaturalist Network allows the recording community, through the NBN Trust, enhanced access to UK records. The NBN Trust, MBA and BRC may share this data with selected organisations across the UK, following the guidance of sharing sensitive records and licensing agreements. This will facilitate the use of iNaturalistUK data for research and conservation in the UK. This could include academic research institutions, such as universities, if we ask them to undertake specific research into our users, for example to understand their motivations for recording the UK’s biodiversity. Please note this could include your email address associated with your iNaturalist account. Read more about data flow in the UK.

Find out more about iNaturalist geoprivacy.

Read the iNaturalist Privacy Policy which applies to iNaturalistUK.

What is the National Biodiversity Network Trust?

The National Biodiversity Network Trust (NBN Trust) has been championing the sharing of wildlife data since 2000. We want to make data work for nature. To find out more about what we do and the other ways you can access and share wildlife data, please visit the NBN Trust website.

Support our work

The NBN Trust is a charity and welcomes your support. Donate to the NBN Trust.

Help and Support

There is lots of help and support, including links to videos, to help you get the most out of iNaturalistUK on the iNaturalist help pages or the iNatForum. We recognise that some users in the UK may have additional queries. Please take a look at the iNaturalistUK section on the NBN Trust website or our Blog for more information.

iNaturalistUK User Group

We would like to know more about how individuals, organisations and groups are using iNaturalistUK to gather data and engage people in recording wildlife. We really want your views and feedback.  Find out more about the iNaturalistUK User Group. Simply sign up to the mailing list or become actively involved in an online workshop.

City Nature Challenge

Started in 2016 as a competition between San Francisco and Los Angeles, the City Nature Challenge (CNC) has grown into an international event, motivating people around the world to find and document wildlife in their cities. Run by the Community Science teams at the California Academy of Sciences and the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, the CNC is an annual four-day global bioblitz at the end of April, where cities are in a collaboration-meets-friendly-competition to see not only what can be accomplished when we all work toward a common goal, but also which city can gather the most observations of nature, find the most species, and engage the most people in the event.

Find out more about City Nature Challenge in the UK.

National Education Nature Park

The National Education Nature Park and Climate Action Awards aim to empower children and young people to make a positive difference to both their own and nature's future. iNaturalistUK will be part of the project. Go to the iNaturalistUK Nature Park resource hub.

Revised on 19 February, 2024 15:26 by giselle_s giselle_s