A foundation group had applied for charitable trust status and was seeking funding for the inaugural event, planned for April, convener Neil Harraway said.
The group was still putting together the budget for the event, but it was likely to be ''around'' $50,000, Mr Harraway said when contacted yesterday.
''One event is the focus, then open it up to other organisations to come under the [trust's] umbrella,'' he said.
The proposed start day is April 22, which is Earth Day, and because it falls on the long Anzac weekend during the school holidays.
''We bill ourselves as a city of wildlife, heritage and culture, but while there are festivals of heritage and culture, there is no nature festival,'' said Mr Harraway, a Dunedin tourism operator and former wildlife documentary-maker.
The Wild Dunedin festival organising committee includes representatives from the University of Otago, Department of Conservation, Otago Museum, Otago Peninsula Trust, Orokonui Ecosanctuary, Dunedin Host with support expressed by Dunedin Airport, Dunedin City Council, NHNZ, the Yellow-eyed Penguin Trust and others.
Mr Harraway said the organisers saw an opportunity for Dunedin to celebrate its natural environment.
''The Otago Peninsula is our biggest drawcard but Orokonui Ecosanctuary is making great progress, as we saw with the Prince of Wales' visit, and there are many other wonderful wild places like the Sinclair Wetlands or Silver Peaks for people to explore.''
The inaugural festival would have at least one ''key event'' and would include activities with a nature focus, a celebrity guest, music, food, and at least 50 stalls for nature-related groups to stage displays, he said.
''Everyone can see multiple benefits. It'll encourage everyone to enjoy the very special nature of our city from the high lands to the high seas - ki uta ki tai.
''It'll help support the great conservation work being done here ... and help stimulate business in Dunedin,'' Mr Harraway said.
As well as the festival, Mr Harraway said, for the remainder of the long weekend the trust would act as a co-ordinating and promotional umbrella for organisations wanting to stage an event, at their cost, as the successful Dunedin Heritage Festival had done recently.
The Wild Dunedin group is now asking those organisations for expressions of interest.
''Some ideas suggested have been a concert of performers with wild connections, displays or open days at nature organisations, planting days, guided walks, screenings, exhibitions and competitions,'' Mr Harraway said.
