Today, 10 June, at noon, the nationwide 24-hour Nature Observation Marathon starts

The sixth nationwide Nature Observation Marathon starts today at noon and runs 24 hours until noon on 11 June. The Nature Festival invites everyone to come and observe nature at observation points all over Estonia. 

The Nature Observation Marathon is a thrilling, adventurous day out in nature. It is a BioBlitz-format amateur science event that identifies as many species of wildlife as possible in a given area over a given period. Taking part in a nature observation marathon helps participants to get to know their local wildlife better and collect data for the work of conservationists and scientists. 

The public observation points where the planned activities will occur are located in several parts of Estonia: Harju County, Ida-Viru County, Pärnu County, Tartu County, Valga County and Viljandi County. There will be various bird, plant and bat walks and butterfly night fishing. Species will be identified, bird calls will be recorded, plants will be studied, and aquatic life will be observed. There will also be a demonstration of observation tools and facilities and nature education activities for children - there will be plenty of excitement and activities for 24 hours. You can learn more about the activities and programmes on the eBiodiversity website. 

For the first time, Latvians will also take part in the nature marathon during the Nature Festival. The nature observations will be carried out at the registered public viewing area in Daugavpils. 

You don't need any previous knowledge to participate in the marathon - spotting the most common species and noting them is also an excellent way to observe. "The important thing is that the observations made on a particular recorded sighting reach the eBiodiversity data portal," said Veljo Runnel, the marathon's organiser and the chief expert in amateur research at the University of Tartu Natural History Museum and Botanical Garden. 

There are a total of 53 observation sites, 27 of which are public - the last 18 are sites where planned activities are taking place, while the remaining areas are open for visitors to come and observe on their own. The public, non-activated sites are located in Jõgeva County, Lääne-Viru County, Pärnu County and Võru County. Of the 53 sites, 32 are on private land. 

The Nature Observation Marathon is part of the Nature Festival, which focuses on gardens' beauty and wildlife over five days this year. "I hope that the festival's choice of theme will help highlight each garden's uniqueness. It doesn't matter how big the garden is because the value of a garden can be something else: it can be our nourishment or our pleasure or a place where nature is preserved," explains Kaarin Hein, the festival's project manager. 

In 2022, there were 42 observation sites in different parts of Estonia, where more than 7,000 nature observations were made, and more than 360 people took part in marathon-related events. In 2018, the marathon was awarded the Estonian Research Council's Science Popularisation Award in the category of new initiatives. The nationwide event was also recognised in the Ministry of Climate Environmental Achievement of the Year competition in early 2019. 

The main organiser of the Nature Festival and the Nature Observation Marathon is the University of Tartu Natural History Museum and Botanical Garden, and the co-organiser is the Birdwatcher. The Nature Observation Marathon is part of the 9th annual Nature Festival programme. The University's Natural History Museum and Botanical Garden and its partners organise the festival. The Nature Festival is part of the European Capital of Culture Tartu 2024 programme. The Environmental Investment Centre and Tartu 2024 support the Nature Festival.