NATURE WITHOUT LIMITS - iNaturalist challenge

General
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NATURE WITHOUT LIMITS — iNaturalist Challenge

Heeello my iNaturalist community :waving_hand:

My name is Laura I come from the inat project: Los Amigos de Betania ( located in Serranía del Perijá, Colombia), and I’m developing a small citizen science experiment inspired by the Valledupar 2026 South American Paralympic Games and would love if you participate.

The goal is not to compete for the highest species count, but to explore different methodologies of naturalist observation within iNaturalist.

The challenge includes activities such as:

:headphone: soundscape and audio-only observations

:round_pushpin: fixed-point observation sessions

:magnifying_glass_tilted_left: macro photography and microbiodiversity

:wheelchair_symbol: accessible-route observations

:memo: observations accompanied by narrative notes

Important: this project is NOT intended to simulate disabilities or recreate specific human experiences. Its purpose is to promote greater methodological diversity in iNaturalist observations and explore alternative ways of connecting with biodiversity.

I’m especially interested in:

• increasing bioacoustic and macro observations

• encouraging slower and more detailed observation practices

• promoting the use of descriptive notes in observations

• exploring how observation methodology changes what we notice and

This is still a pilot idea, and I would love feedback from other iNaturalists before developing it further.

Would this be something you’d be interested in participating in or helping shape?

Greetings from the tropical dry forest of the Serranía del Perijá :herb:

__ __ __________________________________________

My idea so far:

:headphone: AUDIO ONLY — What species appear when you stop looking?

Try documenting biodiversity using sound instead of sight. Record birds, insects, frogs, etc. You may be surprised by how much biodiversity is usually ignored in visual observation.

:round_pushpin: FIXED POINT — Stay still. Let nature arrive.

Choose one spot and remain there for at least one hour. No chasing species. No moving around. Observe what returns, what passes by, and how the same space changes over time.

:magnifying_glass_tilted_left: MACRO — Explore the biodiversity most people walk past.

Lichens, spores, textures, seeds, tiny insects, leaf structures, bark patterns. A completely different scale of biodiversity appears when you get closer.

:wheelchair_symbol: ACCESSIBLE ROUTE — What biodiversity exists where everyone can reach?

Limit observations to flat, accessible, or low-barrier paths. Explore how accessibility changes what biodiversity can be experienced and documented.

:memo: NARRATIVE OBSERVATION — The story behind the observation.

Add context to your observations. What were you hearing? Feeling? Waiting for? What made you stop and notice that organism? Turn observations into memorable experiences, not just records.

You can see how I came out with this idea on this video while I explain it with voice.

https://youtu.be/qEjx6NdeB0k?si=ZoDcI5PRAOUz8p-T

Date:

July, 6 - 10.

JULY 6: soundscape and audio-only observations

JULY 7: fixed-point observation sessions

JULY 8: macro photography and microbiodiversity

JULY 9: accessible-route observations

JULY 10: observations accompanied by narrative notes.

If you want to join the challenge. Here is the link to the project:

https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/nature-without-limits-inaturalist-international-challenge

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i love the fixed-point concept! you can see so much if you just sit still and observe. one of my big memories of my journey into being entomology-obsessed is a few sessions of sitting in a yard and noticing the variety of critters as time passed.

i must admit i don’t much consider audio observations or staying on accessible paths, and i don’t think i am alone there - so a project encouraging such behavior sounds rewarding.

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Hi Laura, sounds like you have some pretty interesting ideas. You mention a video… should there be a link or something?

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I think the is a problem with my youtube or my internet im trying to fic it. Give me a time. But the video s just me explaining how i come up with the idea and the dated i plan for it. To see if it could work. I’ll reupload the video.

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Thank you for liking it, would you participate if I create the inat project?

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Years ago, the blogger who introduced me to iSpot, before South Africa moved to iNat - used to write Stuck Foot posts. Stay literally in one place and observe … lots. She also had health issues, and a gift for writing with enthusiasm.

https://looseandleafy.blogspot.com/2014/07/stuck-foot-post.html

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This is wonderful — thank you for sharing it.

I had never heard of the “Stuck Foot” posts before, but this is exactly the kind of observation experience that inspired the fixed-point challenge. I love the idea of staying physically still long enough for a different layer of biodiversity to appear.

It’s also very meaningful to discover that other naturalists have explored similar ways of observing nature through patience, attention, and presence.

Now I definitely see potential, because I see iNaturalist as the best app for this type of challenge.

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Nombre del proyecto?

y cuando lo empiezas?

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  1. @DianaStuder, thanks for sharing that post by Lucy Corrander, that got you into iNat (kind of, via iSpot).
  2. Re: The transition from iSpot to iNat, I looked into it, as I wanted to better understand how national recording schemes work. It turns out to be a complicated and contentious story. @tonyrebelo wrote a detailed post about it, and you can also read a white paper about it.
  3. Regarding the “stuck foot” idea, it reminded me of this post:
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Nombre: Naturaleza sin Límites or Nature without limits.

A citizen science initiative focused on methodological diversity in naturalist observation through iNaturalist, inspired by the spirit of Valledupar surparamericanos 2026.

Date:

July, 6 - 10.

JULY 6: soundscape and audio-only observations

JULY 7: fixed-point observation sessions

JULY 8: macro photography and microbiodiversity

JULY 9: accessible-route observations

JULY 10: observations accompanied by narrative notes

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Vale.

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The video!

https://youtu.be/qEjx6NdeB0k?si=ZoDcI5PRAOUz8p-T

## Minute-by-Minute: Nature Without Limits (iNaturalist Challenge)

* **00:00 – 01:26 | Introduction & Inspiration**

* Laura introduces herself as a naturalist and shares how the Global Big Day and upcoming Para-athletic events in her city (Valledupar) inspired a new methodology for iNaturalist.

* **01:27 – 02:40 | The Name Change & Core Vision**

* Explanation of the transition from “Paralympics of Nature” to **“Nature Without Limits”** due to naming rights.

* The philosophy: We don’t all experience nature the same way—and that is a scientific advantage.

* **02:41 – 04:15 | Who are “Los Amigos de Betania”?**

* Introduction to the family project in the **Serranía del Perijá** (Tropical Dry Forest).

* Focus on the “Holistic Health” concept: The health of the environment is inseparable from human health.

* **04:16 – 05:44 | Objectives of the Proposal**

* Goal: Appropriate nature through “play” and new observation methodologies.

* Promoting accessibility through profound attention and record-keeping.

* **05:45 – 06:48 | Clarification on Methodology**

* **Important:** This is NOT about “simulating” disability (e.g., using a wheelchair or blindfolds). It is about using different sensory tools to improve scientific data.

* **06:49 – 08:52 | Challenge #1: Sound**

* Focus on audio recordings (birds, frogs, insects).

* Utility: Boosting underrepresented audio data in iNaturalist and validating auditory perception as a monitoring tool.

* **08:53 – 11:11 | Challenge #2: Inclusive Routes (The “Not All Walks are the Same” Challenge)**

* Task: Use GPS (like WikiLoc) to map routes thinking of someone with less mobility.

* Social Goal: Participatory territorial diagnosis to help citizens ask for better public infrastructure.

* **11:12 – 13:00 | Challenge #3: Let Nature Reach You (Stationary Observation)**

* Focus: Behavioral patterns and micro-habitats.

* Utility: Recording phenological changes and small details that are missed while walking.

* **13:01 – 14:26 | Challenge #4: Find the Small (Macro)**

* Focus: Lichens, ants, fungi, and textures (bark, etc.).

* Utility: Scientific rigor in documenting micro-structures.

* **14:27 – 17:46 | Challenge #5: Annotate Details (The Context Challenge)**

* Using the “Notes” box in iNaturalist for descriptive and “poetic” metadata.

* Example: Describing a blue bird’s behavior and the emotions it evokes.

* Accessibility: How text descriptions help people with visual impairments navigate the app.

* **17:47 – 18:46 | Tools & Conclusion**

* Recommendation to use **AI (Gemini/Copilot)** to help generate image descriptions.

* Closing invitatio

n to participate and collaborate.

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Gracias. Entonces el proyecto estará abierto para todos?

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(Disculpa que te responda en inglés pero como este es el foro en inglés no quiero que se queden sin entender que hablamos… …ahora que recuerdo… hay un foro aquí en español no?? Jajja ya voy para allá con esta idea. Me toca hacer todo nuevo.)

Question: Gracias. Entonces el proyecto estará abierto para todos?

Reply:

Yes, exactly. The idea is for this to be an open iNaturalist challenge, so anyone can participate from anywhere in the world during July 6–10, 2026.

The goal is to encourage people to use iNaturalist in a more mindful and diverse way through different observation methods: sound, stationary observation, macro, accessible routes, and descriptive notes.

On my side, I’ll also try to encourage people from my local community to join, install iNaturalist, and participate (crossing fingers!). In my town there is an active birdwatching community, but many of them rarely use iNaturalist, so I would love to help connect those worlds a little more.

I’d also love to see kids participating, because I think these kinds of observation challenges can make nature feel more accessible and engaging.

But participation is completely open and informal — people can join individually, with friends, or simply try one of the challenges on their own.

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Bueno, mucho animos con el proyecto y que sea algo grande

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Hola. ¡Gran idea!

For the audio part, I’d suggest using Merlin, the app. And for the part of notes, I would suggest asking for specific entries for the senses: describe smell, touch, etc. You can add them as “fields” in each observation for the project. There is guidance on how to do it when you set up a project. ¡Suerte!

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Buena idea :)

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Fabulous idea! Thank you for sharing this. It’s great to think about different ways to be out in nature with iNaturalist. :heart:

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I would love to participate! I sometimes have problems with dizziness and vertigo so I have to alter my observation methods on those days: using a long lens to zoom-in to photograph things on the ground instead of bending or squatting down, doing audio recordings instead of looking up at birds. I know of some trails nearby that are wheelchair accessible.

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Guys that is great. And your experiences are also.

If you want to join the challenge this is the link to the project. I just created it.

https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/nature-without-limits-inaturalist-international-challenge

If you cant join or dont know how I can add you manually I think. So just share your user name.