Residents recorded 504 species, including desert hedgehogs, Arabian sand boas, owls, geckos, and sea urchins, during the City Nature Challenge.
Dubai residents recorded more than 500 species across the city during this year’s City Nature Challenge, documenting wildlife ranging from desert hedgehogs and Arabian sand boas to owls, geckos, butterflies, bees, fish, and marine creatures.
However, the key takeaway was not just the number of species recorded, but their locations. The challenge highlighted that Dubai’s biodiversity is not confined to protected reserves or remote desert areas, but is present in neighbourhoods, parks, beaches, and other everyday spaces that residents often pass by without noticing.
The four-day citizen science initiative, led by Terra at Expo City Dubai, saw 172 participants submit 2,346 observations across Dubai, helping to build a clearer understanding of the wildlife and plant life thriving alongside the city’s urban environment.
According to the City Nature Challenge Dubai 2026 Impact Report, a total of 504 species were recorded this year, marking a 58 per cent increase compared to 2025. Observations also rose by 69 per cent, increasing from 1,385 last year to 2,346 in 2026.
Among the reptiles and mammals recorded were the Arabian sand boa, Arabian horned viper, desert hedgehog, Arabian red fox, Arabian oryx, sand gazelle, Arabian gazelle, Cape hare, Arabian toad-headed agama, grey monitor, and eastern skink, along with several species of geckos and snakes.
Bird species recorded during the challenge included the common hoopoe, little owl, purple sunbird, grey francolin, black-winged stilt, red-wattled lapwing, pharaoh eagle-owl, Indian silverbill, grey heron, little egret, glossy ibis, Bonelli’s eagle, Indian roller, and Arabian babbler.
Insects made up the largest proportion of species documented, accounting for 36 per cent of the total. These included red dwarf honey bees, Arabian paper wasps, sulphurous jewel beetles, broad scarlet dragonflies, Arabian darkling beetles, western honey bees, plain tiger butterflies, crimson-speckled flunkeys, carpenter bees, grass blue butterflies, cone-headed grasshoppers, along with several species of mantises, spiders, and beetles.
Plants accounted for 21.9 per cent of the recorded species, while birds made up 17.4 per cent of the total. The documented flora and fungi included giant milkweed, desert inkcap, Zygophyllum qatarense, Heliotropium kotschyi, puncture vine, kheep, green amaranth, kapok bush, cheeseweed mallow, common sow-thistle, desert shaggy-mane, and arta.
The challenge also documented marine and freshwater biodiversity, with observations including the Indo-Pacific comb star, Oman garra, violet sea urchin, black sea urchin, milkfish, blackspot snapper, Luther’s prawn-goby, orange-spotted trevally, purple estuarine rock crab, pharaoh cuttlefish, and upside-down jellyfish.
More than 61 per cent of submissions reached research-grade status, meaning they can contribute to scientific research and biodiversity monitoring. Research-grade observations increased significantly from 471 in 2025 to 1,433 this year, reflecting not only higher participation but also improved quality of documentation and species identification.
Marjan Faraidooni, Chief of Education & Culture at Expo City Dubai, said the rise in participation reflects a growing movement across Dubai, with more people actively engaging with and understanding the ecosystems around them.
She added that each observation contributes to a broader body of knowledge about the ecosystems supporting Dubai, and reflects a growing awareness of nature in everyday life.
First launched globally in 2015, the City Nature Challenge has become one of the world’s largest citizen science initiatives, encouraging communities to document local biodiversity and contribute to ecological research. Dubai’s participation forms part of wider efforts to understand and celebrate the UAE’s natural heritage.
