About
iNaturalist helps you identify the plants and animals around you — and every observation you share becomes data for scientists and conservationists working to understand and protect nature. Get connected with a community of millions of naturalists and researchers who can help you learn more about the life around you!
By sharing what you notice — in your neighborhood, on a hike, or anywhere you find yourself outdoors — you contribute to a real-time atlas of life on Earth. Together, this community has helped rediscover species thought to be lost, inform conservation decisions, and power research that no single institution could do alone.
iNaturalist is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in the USA (Tax ID 92-1296468). Meet our team!
A world where everyone can understand and sustain biodiversity through the practice of observing wild organisms and sharing information about them. Read more about how iNaturalist works →
To connect people to nature and advance biodiversity science and conservation. Read our Technology Principles →
History of iNaturalist
Ken-ichi Ueda originally conceived of the idea for iNaturalist in 2005, and it was launched as the Master's final project of Ken-ichi, Nate Agrin, and Jessica Kline at UC Berkeley's School of Information in 2008. Nate and Ken-ichi continued working on the site after graduation. In 2010, Ken-ichi began collaborating with Scott Loarie. In 2011, Scott and Ken-ichi organized as iNaturalist, LLC. They began growing the community and expanding the platform, including launching the first mobile app.
In 2014, iNaturalist became an initiative of the California Academy of Sciences and a joint initiative with National Geographic Society in 2017. In 2023, iNaturalist became an independent nonprofit organization. Ken-ichi served as Co-director until 2023 and as a Software Engineer from 2023 to 2025. What began as a student project grew into one of the world's largest biodiversity platforms, connecting millions of people to their local nature while contributing critical data to science and conservation.
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