How can you participate?
Tips for Participating in the Great Southern BioBlitz 🌏🌿
The Great Southern BioBlitz (GSB) is an international citizen science event that celebrates biodiversity across the Southern Hemisphere each spring. For four days, communities, cities, and regions come together to record as many species as possible using the free platform iNaturalist.
The goal is simple but powerful:
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Increase biodiversity awareness in local communities.
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Engage people of all ages in nature observation and citizen science.
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Create open, accessible records of plants, animals, and fungi that help researchers, educators, and conservationists.
The GSB began in 2020, in the same year as the COVID-19 pandemic. From the start, it offered many activities that individuals could do on their own. As the pandemic has abated, more group-based events have developed, from guided walks to community surveys. Because of this, the GSB now takes place in a wide variety of contexts- some projects focus on individuals exploring solo, while others thrive on group events. Each region and project adapts the event to their own capacity and community.
What matters most is that people engage with nature, get outdoors, enjoy themselves, and share their findings.
Known internationally as Gran Biobúsqueda del Sur (Spanish) and Grande BioBlitz do Hemisfério Sul (Portuguese), the GSB coincides with the Southern Hemisphere’s vibrant springtime—when flowers bloom, insects emerge, birds sing, and reptiles wake from hibernation.
We have included a list of some potential activities you may like to undertake in your area, please consider your own circumstances and safety as each area is different.
See all participating areas on the GSB iNaturalist umbrella project.
Whether you’re new to iNaturalist or a seasoned observer, these tips will help you get the most out of your BioBlitz experience.
📲 Share your experience with #GSB25 #GreatSouthernBioBlitz on social media.
Square Meter Challenge
Make as many observations as possible within 1sqm!
this challenge focuses your search and teaches you to have a closer look at what's around you.
tip, look under rocks, but always lift with from the far side, so you don't get any surprises.
Shake a Tree
A great activity for the whole family, and quite easy.
Place a white sheet under a tree, shake a branch and document the insects that fall out.
you may be surprised at the diversity of the creatures that you can easily overlook.
Five on Friday
Boost numbers on day one by entering 5 observations!
You may be at work, school or having a busy day, but how about taking time to go for a walk and add 5 records during your lunch break, or on your way to school.
Hold a 'Moth Night'
A fantastic way to boost your biodiversity observations during the Great Southern BioBlitz is by attracting insects — some of the most diverse creatures on Earth! Many insects, including moths, are positively phototaxic, meaning they’re attracted to light at night. While the exact reason is still debated, one theory suggests moths use the moon to navigate and are drawn to light sources as they seek mates or orientation cues.
To try this yourself, simply shine a bright light onto a white sheet or mosquito netting after dark — you’ll be amazed at the variety of moths and insects that appear. This can be a fun group activity or a relaxing solo adventure, from leaving your back door light on to hosting a full-fledged “Moth Night”.
The most common setup involves hanging a white (preferably cotton) sheet, directing a light onto it, and photographing the visiting species. Or just keep an outdoor light on and see what comes by!
We’ve also included blogs below sharing participants’ experiences and tips for getting started.
Guided walk/hike
Having a local expert or guide to take a small group through a reserve or park area can be a great introduction to connecting nature and making observations of biodiversity.
Knowing how long the walk will take is an important element here. We certainly recommend the guide take an opportunity to walk it and become familiar with it before leading others. Understand that with a group it will take longer as there will be stops for making observations and talking about the local environment.
See if there is an iNaturalist project for the area, and use this to see what species you are likely to see, share this with the group.
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let me know if you have similar projects in your area to add to the list
Rockpool ramble
Biodiversity Treasure hunt
The Biodiversity Treasure Hunt that comprises hands-on science workshops and a field citizen science activity, targeting school aged children and their families to participate in a nature walk through a selected park or nature reserve, where they will be encouraged to take photos and record sounds of as much biodiversity as possible over a selected time period. The data collected on local fauna and flora will be uploaded to the citizen science platform ‘iNaturalist’, which hosts a global biodiversity database and uses artificial intelligence to suggest species identification.