Join the urban nature adventure – Kraków returns to the City Nature Challenge

Kraków is once again taking part in the City Nature Challenge (CNC), a global citizen science initiative that engages city residents in documenting local biodiversity. The event takes the form of a friendly competition among hundreds of cities worldwide: which of them will record the highest number of observations, document the most species, and involve the greatest number of participants? The 2026 edition brings an important change, as another Polish city, Warsaw, joins the challenge for the first time.

The W. Szafer Institute of Botany, Polish Academy of Sciences, a co-initiator of Kraków’s participation in CNC, recognizes the significant value of citizen science in studying and monitoring biodiversity and invites everyone to take part in this initiative. To participate, simply take a photo of a plant, animal, or fungus within Kraków between April 24 and 27 and upload your observation to the iNaturalist app. The app is intuitive to use and supports users in identifying organisms. Detailed information, including instructions on how to join the event, is available on the CNC Kraków project website.

We encourage broad participation, as every observation counts. The collected data will provide a valuable resource for scientific research and create a solid foundation for monitoring changes in urban biodiversity. CNC is also an excellent opportunity to spend time outdoors, explore nature in your immediate surroundings, and discover places that often go unnoticed.