Nature never sleeps in South Africa.
Dinokeng Game Reserve/Armand Kamffer/Unsplash
Citizen scientists across the country have delivered big wins in the 2025 Great Southern BioBlitz, not just exploring but documenting South Africa’s rich biodiversity with fresh rigour. With more than 52,000 observations, South Africa recorded more entries than any other African country, according to data from the event’s official Inaturalist portal.
The four-day BioBlitz, which ran from 24 to 27 October, saw over 1,468 participants in South Africa alone, with 2,463 local identifiers helping to classify the flood of photos and sound recordings. In the Western Cape, more than 26,000 observations were made, with over half coming from the Overstrand region.
KwaZulu-Natal also made waves, contributing the highest number of observers, 470, in the country. Meanwhile, the Eastern Cape added 8,131 observations of 1,553 species, providing a vivid snapshot of its natural heritage.
Among the discoveries were more than 528 threatened species, many from South Africa’s fynbos and grassland biomes. Observers also recorded over 400 instances of invasive plants, highlighting ongoing conservation challenges.
Reflecting on the impact, organisers said: “Each record helps us understand and protect biodiversity across the Southern Hemisphere. Thank you to everyone who has contributed, from those out in the field taking photos to the dedicated identifiers helping refine our data.”
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