French Guiana has risen to become one of the top-performing territories in this year's City Nature Challenge, a large-scale international citizen science project dedicated to observing living organisms. In just four days, more than 23,000 observations were recorded and nearly 3,820 different species identified, placing the Amazonian territory fifth in the world among several hundred regions participating in the 2026 edition.
This spectacular progress is based on the growing mobilization of local residents, naturalists, and field enthusiasts. More than 250 observers and nearly 700 identifiers participated in this massive data collection via the iNaturalist platform, making it possible to document both common species and much rarer discoveries.
Unprecedented discoveries under surveillance
Among the notable findings of this year's survey was the appearance of a carnivorous plant never before recorded in French Guiana. The species was observed in the municipality of Iracoubo, illustrating the still largely untapped potential of certain natural areas within the territory. Conversely, participants also detected a plant considered potentially invasive in a new area, reigniting concerns about the spread of exotic species.
Beyond the global ranking, the organizers emphasize the scientific value of this collective effort. The data collected must now be analyzed to better monitor changes in natural environments and more quickly identify threats to local ecosystems. This edition also confirms the growing public interest in observing biodiversity in French Guiana, a territory considered one of the richest in the world ecologically.
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