Celebrate California Biodiversity Day 2025
California Biodiversity Week runs from September 6–14, 2025, with Biodiversity Day on Sunday, September 7. It is a chance to celebrate the extraordinary variety of life across the state and reflect on our collective responsibility to protect it.
A Week of Learning & Celebration
Biodiversity Week offers opportunities for all Californians to connect with nature and contribute to conservation. Guided hikes, bioblitzes, restoration projects, and family events will take place across the state. This includes events such as the iNaturalist “Find 30 Species” challenge where anyone can log plants and animals they encounter—whether on a local trail, in a backyard, or along the beach—to help scientists monitor ecosystems.
The celebration also features a special California Natural Resources Agency (CNRA) Secretary Speaker Series event, California: The Biodiversity King – Discover the Incredible Life that Thrives in the Golden State. Moderated by Secretary Wade Crowfoot, the conversation will highlight some of the most colorful and surprising species that call California home. It’s an invitation to be inspired and energized at a time when protecting biodiversity has never been more important.
Visit CNRA’s Biodiversity Day webpage for more details and to register for local events near you!
California’s Leadership in Conserving Coastal & Marine Biodiversity
California’s coast and ocean are a global biodiversity hotspot. Our coastal and marine waters are home to thousands of species, from kelp and eelgrass to shellfish and sea otters, found nowhere else on the planet. Since last year’s Biodiversity Day, the California Ocean Protection Council (OPC) has advanced several landmark efforts to safeguard California’s unique coastal and ocean environment. California’s network of 124 marine protected areas was recognized as the international gold standard for marine conservation and included on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Green List for Protected and Conserved Areas – the first nature network in the world to receive this honor.
OPC also adopted an updated Roadmap to 30×30 in Coastal Waters, which recognizes specific coastal and marine designations as 30×30 Conservation Areas, bringing the total area of coastal waters conserved under 30×30 to 21.9%. This summer, OPC launched a competitive Request for Proposals to advance 30×30 in coastal waters by conserving and restoring critical habitats, expanding community-based restoration, and strengthening tribally led stewardship through local projects – because achieving 30×30 is not just about designating areas as “conserved” on a map, but also about ensuring long-term benefits for nature and people.
Finally, OPC continues to make investments that prioritize ecosystem resilience and species protection. To safeguard kelp forests, OPC funded projects to map genetic diversity in giant and bull kelp and assess the impacts of harvest on bull kelp populations, which will support management of kelp forests into the future. OPC has also invested in new tools for climate-ready fisheries management, supporting innovative new technology that will allow near real-time data collection to help adapt to shifting ocean conditions.
Together, these actions demonstrate OPC’s commitment to ensuring that California’s coast and ocean remain vibrant, resilient, and healthy for generations to come.
Looking Ahead
California Biodiversity Day is more than a celebration. It is a reminder that protecting biodiversity is inseparable from protecting our health, culture, and future. Whether by joining a bioblitz, attending the Speaker Series, or simply pausing to notice the life around us, we hope you take time during Biodiversity Week to connect more deeply to the natural world we depend on. Because California’s biodiversity is not just extraordinary—it is irreplaceable.