People living in the area were asked to join a metropolitan-wide initiative last week aimed at cataloguing and safeguarding local fauna and flora.

The four-day event, running from late April, prompted inhabitants throughout Brighton and Eastern Downs to log observations of vegetation, wildlife and mushrooms across the city and surrounding districts using a specific mobile application.

Information gathered during the event will support conservation work locally and feed into an international repository of species information.

Councillor Tim Rowkins, who oversees Net Zero and Environmental Services, explained that exploring, watching and documenting wildlife during the event would offer an extremely useful overview of which creatures are flourishing and which are struggling. This would enable focused action on habitat restoration where requirements are greatest. It also presents an excellent opportunity to connect with the natural world, gain insight into local ecological conditions and add to an international collection of biodiversity data.

The initiative encompasses the Living Coast UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, incorporating both urban and countryside environments stretching westward to Worthing and eastward to Seaford, and extending northward across the South Downs National Park to Wivelsfield and Newick within the Low Weald zone.

In the previous year, almost three thousand wildlife sightings were logged in the district during that single weekend.

Councillor Rowkins noted that participation was open to all, irrespective of home location or previous experience. He stated that joining was straightforward – individuals could venture onto the downs or coastline, or simply observe their own garden, neighbourhood park or nearby green area. Each documented sighting, however minor, would contribute to meaningful research tackling the decline of species and their habitats.

Those taking part could monitor advancement throughout the event and stack up their outcomes against other participating areas via the City Nature Challenge 2026: Brighton and Eastern Downs online platform.

Supplemental activities were also arranged to assist the initiative, including a documentation workshop at Falmer Pond on the opening day, hosted by students from the University of Sussex as part of the National Lottery-funded Downs to the Sea programme.

Further information can be found on the Brighton and Hove Green Spaces Forum website.