Free entry to City nature reserves for Great Southern BioBlitz

21 October 2025

The City of Cape Town is offering four days’ free entry to its nature reserves during the Great Southern Bioblitz taking place from Friday, 24 October to Monday, 27 October 2025. Cape Town is participating in the annual Great Southern Bioblitz challenge alongside other cities in the southern hemisphere to record the local diversity of plant and animal life.

The Great Southern Bioblitz is a citizen scientist event that takes place annually, and encourages people to record and identify wildlife in the southern hemisphere. Anyone can participate by uploading their nature observations onto the iNaturalist app.

‘Each year, cities across the southern hemisphere go head-to-head to see who can capture the widest range of plant and animal species, and Cape Town is always in the running to lead the way. Once again, we’re opening our nature reserves to residents, free of charge, so that everyone can join in the fun of discovering and recording our city’s incredible biodiversity. I have no doubt that Cape Town will shine, and I encourage residents to bring their smartphones or cameras and help showcase the unique wildlife that makes our city so extraordinary,’ said the City’s Deputy Mayor and Mayoral Committee Member for Spatial Planning and Environment, Alderman Eddie Andrews.

Residents can join by simply entering their plant and animal sightings on the iNaturalist app or website. Each observation taken on one of the four challenge days will automatically be included in the challenge. To join in and also see how Cape Town is doing, visit the Cape Town project page on the iNaturalist website.

Importantly: the free entry to the nature reserves does not include recreational or other permitted activities, these will be charged as per normal.

Captions: The Pine Emperor moth caterpillar; Spotty Conehead mantis; and Peacock flower.

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Published by:
City of Cape Town, Media Office