It would be Instagram for nature. Without the ‘tread lightly’ checks and balances. And the old participants would melt away. The new ones would have different priorities. Must have the perfect clickbait picture - who cares if the creature, whatever, survives.
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I’ve only been part of iNaturalist since April 2025, but in that relatively short time, the platform has become something deeply meaningful to me—far more than just an app or a website. It has changed the way I move through the world. It has brought me closer to nature in a way I didn’t expect, helped me discover passions I didn’t know I had, and connected me with people who share the same spark of curiosity and wonder. I don’t regret joining for a single moment. If anything, I wish I had found it sooner.
Even now, after the turbulence surrounding the Google AI grant and the waves of frustration that rippled through the community, I still love iNaturalist. I still open it with excitement. I still feel that little jolt of joy when I upload an observation or see someone identify something I found. The core of what makes iNaturalist special—the collaboration, the learning, the shared love of the natural world—remains intact for me.
But at the same time, I can’t pretend I don’t feel a shadow of worry creeping in. It’s the same worry many people have, even if they don’t want to admit it. The worry that something good, something built with care and purpose, might slowly drift into something unrecognizable. History is full of organizations that began with noble intentions and eventually lost their way—not because they were malicious, but because growth, pressure, and the desire to “improve” can push them down paths they never meant to take.
That fear hit me especially hard when I read Ken-ichi Ueda’s blog post about leaving iNaturalist. Seeing a co‑founder step away—someone who helped shape the platform from the ground up—was shocking. If someone so deeply connected to iNat felt compelled to leave, what does that mean for the future? What does it say about the direction things are heading?
I don’t know the leadership personally. I don’t have any special insight into the internal dynamics of the organization. All I have is my account, my observations, and my experience as a user. But reading that post stirred something in me. It made me wonder what pressures are building behind the scenes, what disagreements or tensions might be shaping decisions, and whether the platform I love is at risk of drifting away from the values that made it special.
And yet—even with those fears—I’m not going anywhere.
I plan to use iNaturalist for as long as it exists, or for as long as I’m able to contribute to it. It has become too important to me, too intertwined with how I experience the world, to simply walk away because of uncertainty. I believe in what iNaturalist can be. I believe in the community that keeps it alive. I believe in the countless identifiers, observers, educators, and enthusiasts who pour their time into it every day.
But I also believe in being honest about what’s at stake.
So this is my plea—not as someone with influence, not as someone with insider knowledge, but simply as a grateful user who cares deeply:
Please, iNaturalist—do not lose your way.
Do not follow the wide, easy path that leads away from your purpose.
Do not let growth overshadow community.
Do not let innovation overtake trust.
Do not forget the naturalists, the identifiers, the learners, the explorers, the people who built this place with their passion.
iNaturalist is more than a platform. It is a living ecosystem of people and knowledge and curiosity. It is a bridge between humans and the natural world at a time when that connection is more important than ever. It has the potential to remain something extraordinary—but only if it stays grounded in the values that made it extraordinary in the first place.
I love iNaturalist. I want to keep loving it. And I hope, truly, that the people guiding it forward will choose the narrow path—the one that is harder, slower, and more thoughtful, but ultimately leads to a future where iNaturalist remains a place of wonder, collaboration, and genuine connection with nature.
For the sake of naturalists and nature alike, I hope iNat continues to grow without losing the heart that defined it.
EDIT: Sorry for the overly long post! Admins, you can remove it if necessary . :)
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Many people have (correctly!) mentioned that the forum represents a tiny sliver of the userbase, and that most of the userbase is probably not that passionate about many of the issues discussed here. What I think is worth keeping in mind, however, is that I think a very small number of volunteers contribute a disproportionately massive amount of value to this website (I am certainly not considering my very modest contributions among them). Furthermore, I do feel there’s a degree to which their needs have not been sufficiently prioritized by management in the last few years, and that this could be massively improved if these contributors had a more direct involvement in the decision making process.
Those who have been on the forum for a while have probably seen, many times, the figures about what a large percent of IDs come from a tiny group of identifiers. Beyond the raw numbers, I’m sure we can all think of several taxa where just 1-2 people seem to be the difference between 90% of observations being stuck unidentified for years and every half-decent photo being promptly identified to the finest level possible! I cannot emphasize how much gratitude I have for these power identifiers in particular and the many, many volunteers who make this website a great place in general. I think things would be much better if iNat followed the very common model among volunteer-driven nonprofits of allowing direct decision-making involvement from the community and a much greater deal of transparency.
I have a stream, and on that stream for the last year and a bit I’ve had a “Donate to iNaturalist” button. Today I swapped that for another non-profit I have strong sentimental attachments to (the Marmot Recovery Foundation). Let me be clear, this is not me boycotting iNat and I am still immensely supportive of them as a whole, and I also am fully aware these represent the tiniest drop in the bucket compared to, say, Google money (though I’m immensely proud of my community for what they have done! Google is just a bit tough to compete with…). This is just me switching from one nonprofit I still love, full of people who I have had think have by and large the best intentions, to another in what I hope to be a tiny symbol of solidarity. If iNat makes changes towards more directly involving the most prolific contributors in their board I would be delighted to go back.
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Okay.
99% indifference doesn’t sound like any diversity of opinion at all. What it actually suggests is that in a democracy, apathy is always guaranteed to be the biggest winner. Most iNaturalist users are totally unaware of any alleged issues with the platform, and even if they are, don’t hold strong enough opinions about them to even bother visiting in the forum, let alone making posts that might demand the attention of the directorship. So, given that non-participation is also an active choice, the forum’s voice can still be seen as reflective of the whole (i.e. just like a democratic vote).
Even the users that do regularly particate in the forum likely had no idea that one of its founders was making plans to leave. And what exactly are we supposed to make of the personal opinions expressed in that blog post, given that we know almost nothing about the other side(s) of the story?
When it comes to online services, you don’t need to be a pessimist to safely assume that very few things last forever. I will continue to enjoy iNaturalist for as long as it gives me what I need - but I had my exit strategy worked out long before I started seriously using it, so I’m not overly worried about any alleged future directions it may or may not take.
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Thomas, I’m grateful for this whole post, as you’re “lifting the veil” of your moderator status a bit. I also like when Tony does this (comments as a human, rather than as a moderator bot).
Thank you for sharing the visitation stats for the iNat Forum. This is something that I had wondered about. We have almost 17,000 users registered on the forum. I knew that the visitation numbers were lower, but I didn’t know exactly how low, until you shared that.
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As @adrien_ferrand said, I disagree.
It’s true that some organizations use donor-based voting structures, but I don’t think that approach fits well with iNaturalist’s values or mission. Tying decision‑making power to financial contributions risks shifting influence toward those who can pay rather than ensuring choices reflect the broader community’s needs. iNaturalist thrives because it is shaped by a diverse group of observers, identifiers, and contributors, not just those with the means to donate. For that reason, I believe governance should remain grounded in community benefit rather than financial leverage, so decisions aren’t unintentionally skewed or perceived as being “bought.”
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Also, notifications for observers when DQAs are marked would be nice, instead of us having to explain it every time…
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Oh. I didn’t know about this post. Thanks for sharing. It was depressing but enlightening reading and leaves me worried about iNat for lots of reasons. Sigh. I honestly need something that doesn’t feel like it’s burning down right now, but apparently that’s not iNat.
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You’re hiding posts that are a bit off topic? Don’t they usually become separate topics or aren’t people generally gently reminded to stay on topic, but the posts left intact? I’d really rather see the posts than have them hidden for that reason.
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Already this discussion is getting long with many great points - some easily lost.
I welcome the views from you all on the topic. I hope everyone here is united by our combined desires to see iNaturalist continue towards core goals that i suspect we together value, e.g. a desire to help people engage with nature, etc.
In this all, i’m missing clarity on who iNat’s “user base” is. I understand the wording, yet i mean who are some of the past and futures goals aiming to appeal to? It’s been good to hear on how the active participants of this forum community are a limited subset. Of course. Same with many such initiatives etc, expecting the vast majority to be causal users, many only briefly. That gets to important questions for ‘onboarding’, ‘user retention’ etc or whatever the current buzzwords are, but for the "right direction’ needs clarity on who something is for. To my mind ‘naturalists’ (or such wordings) have always been a diverse assemblage. Such plurality can be a point of strength, sometimes not!
Well, like many in the above discussion, I simply make outsider interpretation of recent restructuring of staff said elsewhere. I hope that means a less conflictive future, and smoother way forward with direction of efforts for all involved. Here in this forum, the folk may be a tiny fraction of the user-base, but many who replied are those who have invested practically in diverse ways to build, support, even nurture what currently exists. I expect the vast majority of the wider iNaturalist user-base have not.
The crux being, if now is the time to admit concerns, i’d just focus on part of the original larger question of [are they] “paying enough attention to the user base?” I’d hope that the new year brings increased communication from staff on direction and actions at diverse levels. I don’t think direction should ever be removed from dialog with the user-base. There will always be a plethora of ideas raised, differences in opinion etc, especially if then open questions to wider engagement from the user-community. That said, simply from my own perspective i’ve repeatedly felt that much said by users simply fell on deaf ears. Here i mean issues or ideas that seemed productive for added value, or efficiency etc. My own views aside, I mean more like issues that were upvoted by multiple folk here on the forum etc. Have i felt any of my contributions were not valued? Countless times. Have i felt voiceless? Countless times. Back to this forum, like i expect for many of us, i’ve seen great discussions go on, including useful insights by some very informed and experienced users. However, then to my limited viewpoint, i felt the conversations usually hit a stalemate with no input from any staff. Not even e.g. “great ideas but (etc)”. I can deal with that as an interim stage of resolution. If this thread continues like many others with the same apparent “Yelling into the void” or however you’d term it, Well, perhaps that’s very telling.
In some fairness i’ll add about having seen some glimmers of hope on dialog. E.g. we can find in forum threads “Exploring New Ways to Learn from iNaturalist’s Community Expertise” and if being generous at the end of “How exhausting plant taxonomy curation has become”. Where however i’m concerned is that e.g. above there’s a reply from @seastarya which is directed towards hiding some comments deemed off topic. Maybe they were. Not touching on possible concerns on censorship, my concern it that’s the first forum communication i’ve seen from the Senior Communications Manager. In fairness, a relatively new staff member whose avenues and audiences seem different to mine. This or other topics may however fall under the remit of “Engagement” instead. I’m tired of second guessing.
Finally, just reflecting on the ‘Café’ analogy of @adrien_ferrand above, per “If we would all meet in a café to discuss about this instead, should we demand to manage the establishment?”
Want to know which of the available drinks is best for you?
Great! Anyone who signed in as a member of this particular Café can help you decide
[= Akin to any logged in user of the website can advise on identification of observation]
Want a cool new type of coffee?
Great! A volunteer (with certain permissions) will add that as a new option for you.
[= Akin to volunteer taxon curator will add it into the taxonomy, usually manually]
Is the notice board with your preferred drink then listing the wrong ingredients, etc?
Great! A volunteer (with certain permissions) will change that misinformation.
[= Akin to volunteer curator will fix up the mislinked wiki data, alter conservation status, establishment means etc]
Complaint about someone taking your coffee?
Great! Almost certainly again it will be a volunteer (with certain permissions) will look into evidence for your claim, etc.
[= Akin to a volunteer curator/moderator will often do the core of checking for observation duplication, misaligned metadata etc]
Want to have a coffee tasting event where you can hangout and maybe learn?
Great! Guess who i suspect is going to be doing the core of any organisation!
Hey @octobertraveler (last post above), sounds like we should both just take a quiet seat in this ‘Café’ and enjoy it for what it is. Need a drink? Just get it yourself!
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I’ve spent most of my career working for nonprofits in which boards make the big decisions, and in general the primary qualification of most board members is their ability to donate and fund-raise. I have the impression this is true of iNat as well.
I want to offer the perspective that from the inside, most nonprofits (at least in the US) seem at least as broken as @kueda describes iNaturalist as being. One of the things I love about my current job is that it is the first time I’ve worked in an organization I could describe as very well run. iNat isn’t burning down, it is making the same mistakes that most young nonprofits make, and hopefully learning from those mistakes. The problems, as described, are serious but not fatal.
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I might need some clarification with regard to what you are suggesting I do here. I wouldn’t want to misinterpret or misunderstand the advice.
In ecology, the term “keystone species” is used to describe a part of the ecosystem that has a much greater effect than would be guessed based on their numbers alone, and without which the whole system would cease to function as it does. I think of the power-identifiers and curators as “keystone users.” I think one of the key complaints here is that the organization doesn’t prioritize communication with keystone users.
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I sincerely hope so. I worked for an organization for a long time that, with mismanagement and lack of trust and communication, almost burned itself to the ground in just 8 years after decades of success. (It still hasn’t righted itself fully.) But, this isn’t my field, so it may not be applicable. I appreciate your insights and will try to be more optimistic. Thank you for explaining.
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@dlevitis
Thank-you for putting that in terms relevant to ecologists, however i fear with what i see on horizon of direction with increasing involvement of admin, communications, developers, fundraising staff etc, it may be better if said in terminology suitable to others? How about for the software engineers? Perhaps Single Point of Failure (SPOF)? How about finance? Systemically Important Financial Institution (SIFI)? I’m really not sure if biological terminology would be understood by certain newer stakeholders.
@octobertraveler
Simply, referring to ‘Café’ allusion, and where you sounded despondent. My comment likely didn’t help. My meaning in essence may be “let’s chill”. Take a moment to enjoy what currently exists, made by much effort and even heartache by diverse contributors. The “get it yourself” for the drink was general, and maybe a needlessly barbed “don’t wait for the staff to get your drink for you”, or dare i say even acknowledge you made a drinks order.
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In my many years of using iNaturalist, I’ve only engaged with like 4 staff members. Honestly it feels like much of the rest of staff just don’t really participate in the community. Some have barely any posts on the forums.
While it may not be their job. Ultimately it feels like there is always this big disconnect between staff and the community because so often only like two staff members regularly engage with the community. Really it feels like to me I can only ever communicate with like two staff members, only if I tag them for an important reason.
Although don’t take this as i want a conversation with staff every day. There is also most certainly bias since these are observations from my perspective, but over the span of multiple years, dealing with flags, being active in the forums. How can it be that it feels like some staff don’t exist?
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Fair enough. I’m glad I asked for the clarification. I can live in the moment, but if I’m having coffee, I’m also ordering a scone. The despondency is the result of too much time on social media, methinks.
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I read that post and conclude, “Ok, there were differences of opinion about direction.” I don’t conclude that iNat is in a state of crisis.
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Just wanted to add a little more context to this message in case helpful — we’ve only been hiding posts that more directly reference personnel or individual staff members/dynamics with the “off topic” label here. Thanks again for the thoughtful feedback, all, our team really does appreciate it.
(Editing to add this link in here for reference)
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I’m pretty new to iNat (having been using it for 1 year or so). From my experience, I miss some improvements on the new app and website. I see many feature requests and improvement suggestions on the forum and other places, but I don’t see much action to fix those.
I hope the team can adopt a user-centric approach and enhance the website and app by adding new features and improving the user experience (some pages on the website appear very outdated).
But I really like the current version, it works great for my use case, so incremental improvements would be nice.
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