Workshops and Panel Debates

Nature-based Solutions (NbS) have been widely hailed as effective strategies to enhance both biodiversity and human well-being in the face of climate change. However, a gap between academic research and real-world application has hindered their practical implementation. While a vast array of NbS options is available to address the impacts of climate change, certain barriers impede their widespread adoption. Under the umbrella of the European Biodiversity Partnership (Biodiversa+), the BiodivClim Knowledge Hub is joining experts from 21 pan-European research projects focusing on links between biodiversity and climate change. As part of its activities, the Knowledge Hub has collected key inputs regarding such barriers from different practitioners: these include inadequate financial support, limited knowledge about the spatial and temporal functioning of NbS, insufficient technical expertise, and challenges related to legal frameworks, including land-use conflicts.
To tackle these challenges head-on, we will host a panel discussion featuring practitioners actively engaged in NbS implementation. This includes national and European authorities, research funding bodies, and scientists who have authored IPCC and IPBES assessments. Each panellist will deliver concise presentations highlighting the main barriers encountered during NbS implementation, exploring common issues that cut across different contexts, and presenting examples of successful NbS initiatives, as inspiring stories, and of cases where the implementation of NbS was not successful, as learning examples. To foster a dynamic and engaging discussion, we will have enlisted a skilled journalist as our moderator, who will leverage their expertise in exploring complex environmental topics. By bringing together practitioners and fostering interdisciplinary dialogue, our panel aims to bridge the gap between research and practice, thereby promoting the widespread adoption of NbS for addressing climate challenges and promoting biodiversity and human well-being.

Confirmed speakers
• Saskia Keesstra, Wageningen University, Senior Researcher Soil, Water and Land Use
• Elena Petsani, ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability Europe
• Christopher P. Dunn, Cornell University, Executive Director of Cornell Botanic Gardens, Ex-Officio Member of the IUCN Board
• Paolo Ronco, VIAQUA, European Commission Joint Research Centre (JRC)
• Kati Vierikko, Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE)
• Myron Peck, NIOZ (Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research)
• Julie de Bouville (moderation), Foundation for Research on Biodiversity

Organizers
Rita Sousa-Silva, Institute of Environmental Sciences (CML), Leiden University, The Netherlands, a.r.de.sousa.e.silva@cml.leidenuniv.nl

Pedro Pinho; Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes & CHANGE-Global Change and Sustainability Institute, Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal; paplopes@ciencias.ulisboa.pt

Filipa Grilo; Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes & CHANGE-Global Change and Sustainability Institute, Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal; afgrilo@ciencias.ulisboa.pt

Myron A. Peck; Department of Coastal Systems, Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, The Netherlands; myron.peck@nioz.nl

Patricia Kammerer; BiodivClim and BiodivRestore programs’ officer, Fondation pour la Recherche sur la Biodiversité, Paris, France; patricia.kammerer@fondationbiodiversite.fr

Divija Jata, Biodiversa+ (European Biodiversity Partnership), Belgian Biodiversity Platform, Brussels, Belgium, djata@naturalsciences.be

Addressing the global biodiversity crisis requires an understanding of the diversity of life on Earth, how that diversity functions and interacts, and how biodiversity responds to different environmental pressures. Two key strands of genomic science provide opportunities to develop solutions to address the complex challenges of delivering knowledge to improve our capabilities for effective biomonitoring, biodiversity conservation, and species discovery. DNA barcoding is transforming the speed of completion of the inventory of life on Earth and providing the foundations of global biomonitoring systems. Genome sequencing is transforming understanding at the genetic level and delivering knowledge of how species adapt to environmental change.
This panel discussion aims to bring together experts from these two domains of genomic science in an open forum to (1) introduce the current state-of-the-art to the wider community of stakeholders in biodiversity research and policy; and (2) debate the priorities for addressing challenges and seizing opportunities needed to accelerate and integrate genomic science solutions into practices that enhance the efficacy of management interventions and biomonitoring programmes with state-of-the-art genomic tools.
The organisers of this panel discussion are coordinating the first large-scale pan-European effort to develop and strengthen functioning communities of practice in biodiversity genomics, the Biodiversity Genomics Europe (BGE) Project (https://biodiversitygenomics.eu/). The BGE Project is building European capacity, production, and applications in biodiversity genomics, from field sampling to DNA sequencing followed by data processing and analysis to drive applications in biomonitoring, conservation, and bioeconomy. The panel will comprise two representatives of the BGE Project as well as one representative each from the global umbrella networks the International Barcode of Life (iBOL) and the Earth BioGenome Project (EBP).

Organizers and Panellists
Robert Waterhouse – Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics (Switzerland): organiser, moderator
Dimitris Koureas – Naturalis Biodiversity Center (Netherlands): organiser, panellist
Camila Mazzoni – Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (Germany): organiser, panellist
Rutger Vos – Naturalis Biodiversity Center (Netherlands): panellist
Harris Lewin – Earth Biogenome Project: panellist
Jose Melo Ferreira – Research Center in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources (Portugal): panellist

This research has been done in the last seven years, with emphasis on the republics of Colombia, Ecuador, Bolivia, Venezuela and Peru, in the indigenous communities of Colombia CRIC, the Cauca Regional Indigenous Council. In addition to the Ecuadorian indigenous movement of Otavalo – Imbabura – Ecuador, as well as the indigenous movement in the Sierra de Bolivia and Peru.
By highlighting the alternative media, using websites, radio and community television, press, giving way to the decolonial theory, social emancipation and thus the redefinition of the rights of native communities, take chain decolonial form and intellectual aspects, theoretical and social openness leads to the strengthening of social movements, labor movements, teachers, workers, peasant struggles in the rural and urban sector in the last 20 years in Latin America and thus give way to the redefinition of economic and cultural social rights.
Notably academic basis in liberation theology of Gustavo Gutierrez, Leonardo Boff, libertarian pedagogy in Paulo Freire, Philosophy of Liberation Enrique Dussel, Francois Houtart, that have transpired in history, social movements and thus have redefined the work of the media as a service to the specific needs of ancestral communities.

Confirmed speakers
Eduardo Erazo Acosta
Vanessa Arteaga
Jose Wilman Tumbo

Organizers
Eduardo Erazo Acosta, sociologist, rueduardo2000@hotmail.com
Vanessa Art, Philosopher & Cultural Manager
Jose Wilman Tumbo Chepe, Nasa people, Former governor of the indigenous reserve of Pueblo Nuevo, municipality of Caldono Cauca, Colombia

In a world where connecting with nature is becoming increasingly distant, and biodiversity loss is a reality, it is essential to rediscover our intrinsic bond with the natural world. This 1.5-hour workshop invites participants to embark on an immersive journey, diving into an experience of «being nature» rather than existing off, from, or in nature (see IPBES2023). Through an immersive experience followed by a generative dialogue, participants are invited to explore their unique connection, foster relationships with land, place and beings beyond humans and be inspired by the experiences of others.
Participants will be guided through experiential exercises designed to work with their wider ways of knowing  (Heron & Reason 2008). Through sensory awareness and entering in touch with the immediate surrounding (incl. insects & plants), attendees will tap into their inherent inter-connectedness with the ecosystem, allowing them to reflect on their place within the larger ecological tapestry, the biome.
Following the experiential session, a dialogue will be facilitated, providing a safe enough space (Singer-Brodowski 2022) for participants to share what they witnessed and welcome collective sense-making. This will encourage an exploration of individual and shared experiences and invite a deepening of what inter-connectedness could look like.
The workshop aims to inspire a paradigm shift in how we perceive and interact with the natural world. By shifting our perspective from one of separation to one of care and kinship, we can begin to embrace an ecocentric worldview and inquiry into how that might influence individual and collective actions and decisions-making. This workshop intends to renew a sense of appreciation for nature’s wisdom and interconnectedness and informs how participants will experience the rest of the conference.
Join us for this 1.5-hour workshop, an open space for reflexive and transformative learning to embrace our innate kinship with our home planet, the Earth.

Confirmed speakers
Luea Ritter, WorldEthicForum
Dr. Anaïs Sägesser, WorldEthicForum

Organizers
Luea Ritter, WorldEthicForum, Cresta 8, CH-7412 Scharans, luea.ritter@worldethicforum.com
Anaïs Sägesser, WorldEthicForum, anais.saegesser@worldethicforum.com

Nature-based solutions (NbS) – actions to protect, sustainably manage, and restore natural or modified ecosystems while addressing societal challenges – hold great potential to enhance climate resilience while providing multiple benefits for society and biodiversity, and safeguarding the delivery of ecosystem services. There is a great need to bring nature back to cities through restoration, rewilding or creating novel types of urban green areas such as green roofs or rain gardens. Urban NbS tend to be hybrid solutions in which technology and grey infrastructure interact with social and ecological system components. Most research on NbS has focused on the social (e.g. governance, planning, and perceived values) and ecological aspects (e.g. ecosystem functions, biodiversity), while the technical aspects (built environment, infrastructure, planting design, technology used in NbS) remain understudied. The technical components for improving or weakening the ecological and social effectiveness of NbS require further exploration to understand this complexity and harness the full potential of NbS. We propose a social-ecological-technical systems (SETS) approach as a novel and comprehensive framework for studying and planning urban NbS. In this workshop, we illustrate how a SETS approach can support multidisciplinary research, collaborative planning and transformative changes through the application of NbS in urban water systems and environments. Our workshop will begin with three presentations that describe how these topics are interlinked and give examples of how they can be implemented. We will then convene parallel interactive sessions, allowing attendees (e.g. practitioners, planners, researchers) to share their experiences and provide real-world examples that illustrate how social institutions and understandings, ecological attributes and environmental contexts, and technological realities configure NbS and how a SETS approach might shape their potential to deliver the desired benefits.

Confirmed speakers
Dagmar Haase, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
Pedro Pinho, University of Lisbon
Johannes Langemeyer, Universitat Autónoma de Barcelona
Tom Wild, University of Sheffield

Main organizers
Kati Vierikko, Finnish Environment Institute, (kati.vierikko@syke.fi)
Ulf Stein, Ecologic Institute (ulf.stein@ecologic.eu)

Co-organizers
McKenna Davis, Ecologic Institute, (mckenna.davis@ecologic.eu)
Tom Wild, University of Sheffield, t.wild@sheffield.ac.uk
Johannes Langemeyer, Universitat Autónoma de Barcelona, johannes.langemeyer@uab.cat
Dagmar Haase, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, dagmar.haase@geo.hu-berlin.de
Pedro Pinho, University of Lisbon, paplopes@fc.ul.pt
Filipa Grilo, University of Lisbon, afgrilo@fc.ul.pt
Daniel Gebler; Poznan University of Life Sciences, daniel.gebler@up.poznan.pl
Hanna Nieminen, Finnish Environment Institute, hanna.p.nieminen@syke.fi
Jan Staes, University of Antwerpen, jan.staes@uantwerpen.be
Michael Monaghan, IGB Berlin, monaghan@igb-berlin.de
Thilo Wellmann, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, thilo.wellmann@hu-berlin.de

Please register for this workshop through https://forms.gle/hx9otjokwRtgizg38

A sixth mass extinction is under way and, despite the development of essential biodiversity variables (EBVs) for science-based, actionable policies, biodiversity monitoring remains limited by observation methods and sampling logistics. Genetic diversity monitoring in particular is fundamental to prevent species extinctions and design conservation interventions, but is limited by the effort required to sequence DNA from many individuals and species over time. Thus, indicators of genetic diversity, recently adopted at the 15th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP15), focus on proxies that can be assessed even in the absence of DNA sequence information, and translated into actionable policies. Existing, public Earth observations (EOs), especially from sub-orbital and space-based instruments, provide frequent, repeated and non-invasive, local-to-global data that represent a unique resource to develop and improve these indicators. Current developments in EO, including rapidly emerging space-based imaging spectroscopy, can furthermore contribute to the assessment of EBVs for genetic diversity.
In this workshop, we will present a general approach and concrete cases for the timely integration of EO into genetic diversity monitoring and reporting for scientific biodiversity assessments, from the ongoing work of the ISSI International Team “Genes from Space”. Workshop participants will have an opportunity to: 1) provide input and feedback on our proposals for developing workflows and example cases for genetic diversity assessment, monitoring and reporting; 2) assess feasibility and give recommendations for broader implementation of our proposed framework and approach; and 3) contribute to the outcomes of the workshop. We envision these will contribute to monitoring and reporting within the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and future scientific biodiversity assessments.
We invite those working on genetic diversity, biodiversity, monitoring and reporting methods, EBV development, and EO for scientific biodiversity assessment, as well as other interested conference attendees, to participate in the workshop.
The multidisciplinary team of workshop conveners, who are experts in genetics, biodiversity science, conservation, and Earth observations, will serve as speakers to provide short and informative introduction to the context and content of the topics to be discussed at the workshop. The majority of time will be devoted to interactive discussion and sharing ideas with the participants. A summary of major conclusions and timeline for follow-up actions will be shared with the participants, and their views will be solicited for broader dissemination and raising awareness of the outcomes from this workshop, and its follow-on activities.

Organizers
Meredith C. Schuman, Remote Sensing Laboratories, Department of Geography and Department of Chemistry, University of Zurich, meredithchristine.schuman@uzh.ch
Claudia Röösli, Remote Sensing  Laboratories, Department of Geography, University of Zurich, claudia.roeoesli@geo.uzh.ch
Alicia Mastretta-Yanes, Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología – Comisión Nacional para el Conocimiento y Uso de la Biodiversidad (CONACYT-CONABIO), Mexico City, Mexico. / Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany  amastretta@conabio.gob.mx
Clement Albergel, European Space Agency (ESA) Climate Office, ECSAT, Harwell Campus, Didcot, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom, clement.albergel@esa.int
Cristiano Vernesi, Fondazione Edmund Mach, San Michele All’adige, Trento, Italy, cristiano.vernesi@fmach.it
Ghassem R. Asrar, Senior VP for Science-Emeritus, Universities Space Research Association, Washington, DC, USA, 600gra@gmail.com
Isabelle S. Helfenstein, Remote Sensing  Laboratories, Department of Geography, University of Zurich,  isabelle.helfenstein@geo.uzh.ch
Katie L. Millette, Group on Earth Observations Biodiversity Observation Network (GEO BON), McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, katie.millette@mcgill.ca
Linda Laikre, Department of Zoology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden, linda.laikre@popgen.su.se
Michael E. Schaepman, Remote Sensing  Laboratories, Department of Geography, University of Zurich, michael.schaepman@uzh.ch
Wolke Tobón-Niedfeldt, Comisión Nacional para el Conocimiento y Uso de la Biodiversidad (CONABIO), Mexico City, Mexico, wolke.tobon@gmail.com

Please register for this workshop through https://forms.gle/eWLq7h3uiscuTKDQ7

Despite ongoing efforts, biodiversity continues to decline. So far, the existing conservation approaches and measures were not sufficient to halt the global biodiversity loss. Science-Policy-Interfaces (SPI) were established in order to bridge the gap between scientific knowledge and policy. At the same time SPI are under great attention/pressure, as science is questioned as a foundation, but is also expected as source of knowledge and evidence (science as «data collector» to inform evidence-based decisions). The current initiatives/formats (policy cycle) are not sufficient: previous formats and communication initiatives were not sufficient/adequate. Thus, currently new, experimental formats such as Solution Labs, Transformation Labs, Living Labs, Real-World Labs, Incubators are developed. They have in common that they integrate science, policy and practice as a process of transdisciplinary co-production of knowledge and action. In particular, these formats foster the exchange of the different knowledge types such as system and orientation and particularly seek to create transformation knowledge.

The aim of this workshop is to jointly reflect and discuss i) how future SPI should look like against the background of the above described changing conditions; ii) in which way need current SPIs to be transformed and iii) what can everybody do about it?

In a deliberative and discursive workshop format, we will jointly discuss and practice the challenges and opportunities to transform SPIs. Using the method of 4D mapping we employ a role model game together with the participants of the workshop. Bases on this exercise we jointly identify next steps and opportunities how each workshop participant can contribute in his/her own working environment to transform SPIs.

Confirmed Participants
– Flurina Schneider (ISOE), Alexandra Lux (ISOE), Marion Mehring (ISOE), Sophie Peter (ISOE): Synthesis and Solutions Labs as part of the Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre
– Lennart Kümper-Schlake (German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation): COP CBD negotiation process
– Marie Vandewalle (UFZ), Juliette Young (INRAE): BioAgora – Connecting biodiversity knowledge and decision-making
– Carsten Neßhöver (The German Environment Agency: International Academy – Transformations for Environment and Sustainability

Main Organizsers
Marion Mehring ^1,2 , mehring@isoe.de
Alexandra Lux ^1,2 , lux@isoe.de

Additional Organisers
Flurina Schneider ^1,2,3 , flurina.schneider@isoe.de
Sophie Peter ^1,2 , sophie.peter@isoe.de
Katrin Böhning-Gaese², katrin.boehning-gaese@senckenberg.de
Marie Vandewalle ⁴, marie.vandewalle@ufz.de
Juliette Young ⁵, juliette.young@inrae.fr

1 ISOE – Institute for Social-Ecological Research, Hamburger Allee 45, 60486 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
2 Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Center BiK-F, Senckenberganlage 25, 60325 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
3 Goethe University Frankfurt, Faculty of Biosciences, Max‑von‑Laue‑Str. 9, 60438 Frankfurt, Germany
4 Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research – UFZ, Permoserstr. 15, 04138 Leipzig, Germany
5 French National Institute for Agriculture, Food, and Environment (INRAE), Paris, France

This workshop has been cancelled by the organizers.

This workshop has been cancelled by the organizers.

Please register HERE for this workshop

Background. According to the preliminary estimates, losses and damages caused by the ongoing military aggression in Ukraine are already exceeding USD 411 billion (The World Bank, 2023). It is desirable that measures of post-war recovery in the post-conflict countries will be carried out in accordance with the principles of «building forward better» and «leaving no one behind». Such an approach requires elaboration of the middle and long-term strategies, action plans including, a financial plan, for recovery and further development. Cities are on the forefront of the conflict. At the same time, local authorities are experiencing a lack of financial resources as the current Ukrainian National Recovery Plan is centered around national authorities and respective priorities. Creating regional urban resilience hubs (URH) with satellite municipalities in their proximity could ensure that reconstruction funds are geared to the needs of the «first responders» (municipalities) through the design of the financing architecture with the participation of private investors. The main pillars should be centered around (but not limited to) resilient reconstruction of destroyed buildings, private and communal services (communal hospitals) and decentralized energies («citizen energy»). To ensure integrity, environmental, social and governance (ESG) elements should be incorporated and serve as a basis to attract private green and sustained finance for the recovery efforts in Ukraine. The EU Green Taxonomy, as well as the Regulation on establishing Recovery and Resilient Facility (RRF) are important guiding stars for a green and resilient recovery not only in Ukraine, but also for other post-conflict countries. An approach to addressing capacity, financial and regulatory needs for the priority pillars will be presented and discussed.

AIM is to look at the pillars of green and resilient post-conflict recovery through biodiversity lens.

OUTCOME – elaborated recommendations on using biodiversity for enhanced green and resilient urban post-conflict recovery.

The following pillars will be used to build up the groups and elaborate recommendations on how to enhance recovery efforts:

• green and resilient business, living environment;
• access to the green and sustainable finance;
• resilient and climate-neutral critical infrastructure;
• circular societies for climate- and nature-positive growth;
• social inclusion and green jobs creation.

AGENDA

9:00-9:15 – Round of introductions
9:15-9:30 – Short presentation of UFZ Discussion Paper
9:30-10:00 – Work in groups on barriers and possible solutions (e.g., demining, energy, waste, water, social inclusion, etc.)
10:00-10:20 – Presentation of results
10:20-10:30 – Concluding remarks.

Organizers
Reimund Schwarze – Helmholtz-Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ)
Oleksandr Sushchenko – Helmholtz-Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ)

Are you eager to harness the power of nature’s wisdom to optimize your communication and business practices?
Join us in this transformative workshop, where we bridge the gap “From Science to Action”, offering practical examples and profound insights to inspire innovation across diverse organizational contexts.
What can you expect?
– gain a fresh perspective on optimizing your organization,
– acquire practical tools and strategies to foster innovation, resilience, and sustainability within your own business,
– discover the transformative potential of bioinfused communications and processes.
Join a diverse group of like-minded individuals, united by the passion to unlock nature’s secrets for their businesses and communication practices.
Here are some key features:
– communication processes inspired by nature,
– bioinfused business practices,
– real-life case studies,
– practical and interactive exercises.
Prepare to delve into the experience of nature’s principles, as we strengthen your resilience and cultivate natural and symbiotic relationships within your organizational context. Moreover, we’ll explore how to adapt to dynamic situations and embrace emerging opportunities for growth.
Don’t miss this unique opportunity to propel your communication and your organization forward with transformative insights.

Confirmed speakers
Joy Lapseritis, Naval Undersea Warfare Center, Newport RI USA, Peetseritis@gmail.com
Sonja Donauer-Dums, Alpine Genius Think Tank, Anthophila, sonja.donauer-dums@anthophila.at

Organizer
Michaela Emch, Alpine Genius Think Tank, Eclosions – Marketing & Communication, Biomimicry Switzerland, Rte de Praly 4, 1976 Aven, Switzerland, info@eclosions.ch

Please register for this workshop (registration is preferable, but not mandatory): https://forms.gle/UnvWf4hgG15gC83GA

Map of Life is a global resource addressing the geographic distributions of species and their change. It addresses local to national monitoring and planning needs and can deliver actionable species-specific biodiversity insights. For areas of interest worldwide, the dashboards of Map of Life and the Half-Earth Project Map provide an accessible and flexible interface for anyone to assess global importance, prioritize local monitoring, and integrate other information.

This workshop session will explore the existing implementation, tools, and data available at the Map of Life and Half-Earth Project Map. We will demonstrate how governments and organizations across three continents are using these tools and invite attendees to engage with the interface, describe additional needs, and provide welcome feedback. Through several hands-on examples and use cases, workshop participants will explore how to use the platforms and their dashboards for assessment, reporting, and decision-support around local, regional, national, and global biodiversity patterns and trends.

Organizer
Alexander Killion
Yale Center for Biodiversity and Global Change
165 Prospect Street, New Haven CT 06511
alexander.killion@yale.edu

Co-organizers
Tamara Rudic
Yale Center for Biodiversity and Global Change
Tamara.rudic@yale.edu

Walter Jetz
Yale Center for Biodiversity and Global Change
walter.jetz@yale.edu

Claire Hoffmann
Yale Center for Biodiversity and Global Change
claire.hoffmann@yale.edu

Environmental challenges like degradation, climate change, and biodiversity loss require solutions that extend beyond conventional scientific models and technological remedies. Integrating human behaviour in scenario development through strategy games can effectively transform environmental policymaking. This full-day workshop invites participants to discover MineSet, a strategy game on landscape governance and forest management in Central Africa.

Objectives
– To examine how decisions deviate from traditional scientific models and to introduce a more nuanced understanding of human agency in environmental management.
– To utilize strategy games as a tool to better grasp the complexity of socio-environmental systems and to foster dialogue between stakeholders.
– To explore how games can contribute to more effective, transparent, and democratic decision-making in real-world environmental challenges.

Target Audience
This workshop is designed for a maximum of 24 participants and particularly encourages attendance from policy makers, industry leaders, researchers, and stakeholders wanting to make a difference.

Structure (total 5 hours plus breaks)
1. Introduction and Context Setting: Briefing on the state of landscape governance and forest management in Central Africa (15 minutes).
2. Game Mechanics and Roles: Introduction to the rules of MineSet, objectives, and stakeholder roles within the strategy game (15 minutes).
3. Gameplay Session: Participants engage in the strategy game, representing various stakeholder perspectives, and building scenarios of landscape change (3 hours with a break).
4. Debrief and Insight Sharing: A facilitated discussion to extract lessons learned, both from the gameplay and how they can be applied to real-world governance and management scenarios. (1 hour)
5. Conclusions and Next Steps: Summary of key insights and discussion of potential implications for policy and practice (30 minutes).

By integrating people-based strategy game design with scientific principles, this workshop aims to create awareness and help transcend the limitations of traditional policy-making to drive more impactful people-based solutions in landscape governance and forest management.

The workshop has no speakers per se, but the game will be hosted by a team of game masters and facilitators. (GM : Claude Garcia).

Organizers
Claude Garcia – University of Applied Sciences, Berne. (BFH -HAFL) : Länggasse 85, 3052 Zollikofen. Claude.garcia@bfh.ch
Jaboury Ghazoul – ETH Zurich. jaboury.ghazoul@env.ethz.ch

Please register for this workshop through https://forms.gle/ikY2EAYsCfKve3sBA

In this workshop, we will discuss what is needed to extract the full potential of spaceborne remote sensing data for biodiversity monitoring. We will explore the optimal synergism with in situ biological observations and the potential for technological and methodological advancements for the coming decades.
Biodiversity is under threat in a rapidly changing world. Pressures and ecological responses can occur at paces that exceed resources for in-situ observations. High frequency monitoring is needed to support biodiversity actions towards reaching the goals and targets of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF). Remote sensing can provide timely assessment of change, complementing the understanding gained from in-situ monitoring. New remote sensing data products and entirely new types of sensors create opportunities for both detecting changes to pressures on ecosystems and the responses of living systems. This workshop will encourage the development and adoption of emerging remote sensing technologies into local to regional biodiversity action and national to global biodiversity assessments. The outcomes of this workshop will inform a white paper for the Decadal Survey for Earth Science and Applications from Space (ESAS) 2027, which will define NASA’s priorities for the coming decade(s). This is an opportunity to help shape NASA’s priorities to facilitate monitoring biodiversity change for assessment and evaluation needs of the GBF.
After a plenary introduction, we envision two sessions with break-out groups:

Part 1: Gaps, biases and limitations
– Prioritization of gaps that the space agencies and biodiversity communities need to fill

Part 2: Solutions and actions
– Technological advances for monitoring biodiversity from space: informing the next Decadal Survey
– Adoption of emerging technologies for conservation, restoration and land management

Expected workshop outcomes
– A consolidated list of gaps, biases and limitations, potential paths forward how these can be addressed
– Decadal Survey (ESAS 2027) White Paper outline

This workshop will be a mix of invited participants and open participation (hybrid setting). Participation of early-career researchers is encouraged.

Main Organizers
Fabian D. Schneider, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, M/S 233-300, Pasadena, CA, 91109, USA, fabian.schneider@jpl.nasa.gov

Co-organizers
Gary N. Geller, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, gary.n.geller@jpl.nasa.gov
Jeannine Cavender-Bares, University of Minnesota, cavender@umn.edu
Cornelia Krug, bioDISCOVERY, University of Zurich, cornelia.krug@uzh.ch
Kyla Dahlin, Michigan State University, kdahlin@msu.edu
Marc Paganini, Directorate of Earth Observation Programmes, European Space Agency, marc.paganini@esa.int

This workshop is a collaborative, playful and science-based workshop to discover about biodiversity, as well as the causes and consequences of its erosion. All data comes from the IPBES report and can be provided in several languages.  It has the purpose of raising awareness about environmental issues to as many people as possible, without discrimination. Here is a little more information about it https://www.fresquedelabiodiversite.org/

Organizers
Maria del Pilar Porras Villarreal, Le Fresque de la Biodiversité Association, mpyporras@gmail.com,  Leimbachstrasse 35, 8041, Zurich, Switzerland
Ludovic Kasperski, Le Fresque de la Biodiversité Association, Bern, Switzerland, ldkasperski@gmail.com

Achieving the goals set out by the Kunming-Montreal global biodiversity framework (GBF) and other international- or national strategies requires assessments of biodiversity status, as well as developing plans to conserve and restore biodiversity. At the same time, the increasing pace of environmental changes and their effects on ecosystems has triggered intense research on how to understand better and quantify biodiversity and their temporal and spatial change. However, biodiversity is a complex and multifaceted construct that gives rise to a plethora of different indicators and metrics, which all suffer from scale dependence and other biases. It is thus far from trivial to develop biodiversity assessment frameworks, especially in the marine realm, that adequately capture the multi-level changes in biodiversity in a way that can be effectively communicated to a broad range of stakeholders, including managers, policymakers, industry representatives and NGOs. In this workshop, we aim to present and discuss different approaches to improve indicators, assessments and communication. We invite experts from various research consortia.

Confirmed speakers
Abigail McQuatters-Gollop (3)
Jan Dajka (2)
Angel Borja (6)
Lisandro Benedetti-Cecchi, Department of Biology, University di Pisa, Lungarno Pacinotti 43 – 56100 Pisa, Italy, email: lbenedetti@biologia.unipi.it
Martin Lindegren (7)
Mette Skern-Mauritzen (8)
Dorothee Hodapp (2)

Main organizers
Helmut Hillebrand (1,2,3) & Thorsten Blenckner (4)
1) Institute for Chemistry and Biology of Marine Environments [ICBM], Carl-von-Ossietzky University Oldenburg, Schleusenstrasse 1, 26382 Wilhelmshaven, email: helmut.hillebrand@uni-oldenburg.de
2) Helmholtz-Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity at the University of Oldenburg [HIFMB], Ammerländer Heerstrasse 231, 26129 Oldenburg
3) Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz-Centre for Polar and Marine Research [AWI], Bremerhaven
4) Stockholm Resilience Centre, Stockholm University, Albanovägen 28, 10691 Stockholm , Sweden, email: thorsten.blenckner@su.se

Co-organizers
Abigail McQuatters-Gollop (5), Angel Borja (6), Martin Lindegren (7), Mette Skern-Mauritzen (8), Dorothee Hodapp (2)
5) School of Biological and Marine Science,Plymouth University, Drake Circus, Plymouth,Devon PL4 8AA, United Kingdom, email: abigail.mcquatters-gollop@plymouth.ac.uk
6) AZTI, Herrera Kaia. Portualdea zig, 20110 Pasaia (Gipuzkoa) Spain, email: aborja@azti.es
7) National Institute of Aquatic Resources, Technical University of Denmark, Kemitorvet Bygning 202 2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark, email: mli@aqua.dtu.dk
8) Institute of Marine Research, PObox 1870 Nordnes, NO-5817, Bergen, Norway, email: mette.skern-mauritzen@hi.no
thorsten.blenckner@su.se

Please contact the session organizer Samer Angelone directly if you wish to register (samer.angelone@gmail.com).

I seek to challenge, inspire and train scientists to use narrative techniques and strategies employed in film to produce persuasive presentations and publications. Borrowing communication strategies and techniques from filmmakers and applying them in science communication will help scientists for better communication of their research, and scientists are wise enough to do so!
In this workshop participants re-write their biographies, abstracts and presentations by using narrative and cinematographic attributes used by filmmakers.

Organizer
Samer Angelone, Swiss Science Film Academy, Imfeldstrasse 25, 8037 Zurich, samer.angelone@gmail.com

The Arctic is one of the most rapidly changing environments on the planet. Amplified warming and increasing accessibility change ecosystem processes and accelerate industrial activity in the cold-adapted systems. These changes are projected to have profound impacts on biodiversity in the Arctic oceans, along coastlines and on northern lands. Motivated by the IPBES Nature Futures Framework for developing desirable futures (https://www.ipbes.net/scenarios-models) and ongoing research in the EU CHARTER (terrestrial), FACE-IT (coastal) and ECOTIP (marine) projects, this workshop invites participants to consider the following questions: How can we develop desirable futures for the Arctic? What has been done? What has been missed? Where do we need to go next? We invite scientists, practitioners, Indigenous right- and stakeholders, policy makers and people from all backgrounds with an interest in the topic to share their knowledge and think about biodiversity in the Arctic of the future. We also encourage early career participation. We will start the workshop by introducing the Nature Futures Framework and presentation of case studies from the EU projects, covering the terrestrial, coastal and marine realms. We will then be joined by an industry-expert on Design Thinking who will facilitate the generation of pathways towards desirable futures for the Arctic. We intend to synthesize the outcomes of the workshop in a short opinion piece. Interested? Please send a brief message expressing your motivation to workshop coordinator Jakob Assmann (jakob.assmann@uzh.ch) – We are looking forward to hearing from you! Participant numbers are limited.

Organizer
Jakob J. Assmann, Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057 Zurich, jakob.assmann@uzh.ch

Co-Organizer
Gabriela, Schaepman-Strub, University of Zurich, gabriela.schaepman@ieu.uzh.ch

No sign-up necessary – all are welcome! Please bring a laptop.

A researcher is a professional writer, but many researchers find the writing process daunting, especially when writing in English as a foreign language. However, the right text structure is much more important for creating a great research paper than perfect language! This half-day workshop will boost your writing skills by demonstrating a range of techniques and tricks to ensure your paper emphasises key messages and highlights the importance of your work. We will start by taking a different look at the traditional sections of a research paper and learning how a reader processes information. We will then build on this fundamental understanding to ensure your text structure provides key information to the reader in the right place. We learn how to use story structures and story-telling techniques to create a logical flow of information throughout the paper. Throughout the workshop, short exercises will show you how to apply these techniques and write a strong and convincing paper about your research.

Organizer
Emma J Sayer, Institute of Botany, Ulm University, Albert-Einstein-Allee 11, 89069 Ulm, Emma.sayer@uni-ulm.de

Please sign up for this workshop on https://tinyurl.com/2vzdcnbs

Irrespective of profession, our work is intertwined with the web of all living things. Yet we often find ourselves working in isolation, in-silo.
Drawing inspiration from Nature, we know that diverse ecosystems foster more adaptable and resilient networks.
Biodiversity+ Design is a ground-breaking method of creating, that unites experts across disciplines, spanning arts to science.
It provides a collaborative methodology to cultivate solutions that contribute positively to biodiversity.
This Open Source toolkit has been crafted and continues to be iterated by designers from Harvard, IBM, OCAD U, Microsoft, RISD, Parsons and more, in support of the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity.
Join us for an introduction to the toolkit, followed by an action-focused workshop. After outlining the principles of Biodiversity+ Design, we present intriguing case studies to illustrate how the toolkit is being deployed. Learn about novel collaborations, how early researchers can use the toolkit to showcase their work for grants, and how advanced designers are using it to bring biodiversity into their fields of work.
Attendees are invited to offer feedback and opinions, to help co-create the next version.

Confirmed speakers
Carly Williams, Filmmaker
Margot Clavier, Program Coordinator, Himalayan Environment and Life Protection H.E.L.P.
Nathalie Attallah, Harvard Graduate School of Design
Max Stearns, Designer, Democratic Society

Organizers
Carly Williams, TEALEAVES, carly.williams@tealeaves.com 1616 West 75th Avenue, Vancouver, BC V6P6G2
Garret Chan, TEALEAVES garret.chan@tealeaves.com

This workshop aims to present the results of the proof-of-concept phase (presented by four countries and one transboundary landscape pilot championing this research initiative) and explore next steps for the Multidimensional Biodiversity Index (MBI) led by UNEP-WCMC. This planned workshop will both build and reflect on previous workshops which helped define the MBI framework.

The MBI aims to monitor the status of biodiversity and its contributions to people in a way that is politically relevant, scientifically rigorous, actionable, easily communicable and that connects biodiversity actions to the achievement of the sustainable development goals (SDGs). The index incorporates ecological and socio-economic perspectives on biodiversity to support policy decisions and ensure that ecological integrity, human wellbeing, and sustainable development priorities are considered. The conceptual framework of the MBI has been published and is being piloted in Europe, Africa, Asia, and Latin America through an inclusive, co-designed process, involving decision-makers, experts, and relevant stakeholders. The spectrum of pilots tests the utility of the MBI in national and global biodiversity reporting settings. The current policy momentum presents a critical opportunity for countries to decide how to monitor and report on the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) and SDGs. The MBI is designed to align with these, thus capitalizing on the potential of both frameworks for transformative change.

This workshop will:

• Provide valuable experiences and lessons learned from the ongoing projects in the five pilot regions, highlighting the utility and applicability of the MBI in different national and global biodiversity reporting settings.
• Engage stakeholders in discussions on how the MBI can be upscaled to support policies, streamline reporting and leverage uptake.

By bringing together a diverse range of perspectives and expertise, this workshop aims to catalyze dialogue and cooperation towards an integrated approach to biodiversity monitoring and policy development.

Confirmed speakers
Andrea Baquero, Ana Rodrigues – UNEP-WCMC
Michelle Harrison, UNEP-WCMC, Michelle.Harrison@unep-wcmc.org
Lize von Staden, South African National Biodiversity Institute, l.vonstaden@sanbi.org.za
Sediqa Khatieb, South African National Biodiversity Institute, s.khatieb@sanbi.org.za

Organizers
Andrea Baquero, UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre, 219 Huntingdon Road, Cambridge, CB3 0DL, United Kingdom, andrea.baquero@unep-wcmc.org
Ana Rodrigues, UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre, ana.rodrigues@unep-wcmc.org
Neil Burgess, UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre, neil.burgess@unep-wcmc.org

By invitation only!

In December 2022, parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity agreed upon the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, intended to catalyze action to halt and reverse biodiversity loss. To support implementation, a monitoring framework has been adopted that guides national biodiversity monitoring. However, current monitoring capabilities differ widely between countries, and major gaps remain in our ability to monitor biodiversity on a global scale.

GBiOS will develop and connect the components needed to monitor biodiversity on a global basis to support stakeholders of the CBD Monitoring Framework and the needs of other key organizations. Current monitoring capabilities suffer from a variety of gaps and other constraints including but not limited to: in situ observations; data standards; data access and usability; realistic workflows and the operational creation of products such as indicators; harmonization of observations collected by different means; full utilization of satellite observations; capacity; and resources.

The proposed session will review, in turn, major components of GBiOS, assess challenges to their development, and lay out a path addressing those challenges. These paths will then be used to develop an overall roadmap of next steps. A key component of GBiOS—one that must be replicated at national and other scales–is the Biodiversity Observation Network, and several breakout groups will focus on that, perhaps using their own in-country experience in assessing and overcoming challenges. Other breakout groups will focus on topics such as data standards and sharing, workflows for key indicators, or resources, depending upon their expertise. Towards the end of the workshop the various components studied will be summarized and discussed.

Organizers
Gary N. Geller, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, USA, gary.n.geller@jpl.nasa.gov
Andrew Gonzalez, Department of Biology, McGill University, Montreal, Canada, andrew.gonzalez@mcgill.ca
Cornelia B. Krug, bioDISCOVERY, Department of Evolutionary Ecology and Environmental Studies, University of Zürich, Switzerland, cornelia.krug@uzh.ch
Fabian D. Schneider, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, USA, fabian.schneider@jpl.nasa.gov
Michael Schaepman, bioDISCOVERY, University of Zürich, Switzerland, michael.schaepman@uzh.ch

This workshop was cancelled by the organizers.

Please register for this workshop (registration is preferable, but not mandatory): https://tinyurl.com/73f4byp8

The protection of the earth’s biodiversity is ever more prominently considered on the international political agenda in order to assure an aligned approach to protect and restore biodiversity globally. This is most recently evidenced by the adoption of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework in December 2022. The urgency of protecting and restoring biodiversity sets a spotlight on companies’ sustainability agenda regarding biodiversity. In addition, increased transparency with respect to a company’s biodiversity impacts and dependencies is required, with the aim to foster action through increased transparency. Managing and reporting impacts and dependencies both depend on reliable metrics for different aspects of biodiversity which allows companies to account for their activities. In this hands-on workshop, we will discuss how research on the measurement of biodiversity can be linked to existing accounting frameworks such that biodiversity accounting within companies is facilitated. Therefore, we build on existing frameworks for the accounting process within firms and discuss potential linkages with frameworks for the measurement of biodiversity. We explicitly aim to consider different aspects of biodiversity measurement, like essential biodiversity variables, ecosystem services and biodiversity footprints. Ultimately, this linkage will help to derive measures that allow for a reliable and concise description of a company’s impacts and dependencies on biodiversity.

Organizers
Patricia Ruffing-Straube, Chair of Accounting, Department of Business Administration, University of Zurich, patricia.ruffing-straube@business.uzh.ch
Saverio Olivito, Department of Business Administration, University of Zurich, saverio.olivito@business.uzh.ch

THIS WORKSHOP HAS BEEN CANCELLED

Triggered by regulatory demand, public scrutiny and in some cases inherently, business is getting more concerned regarding biodiversity loss.  Regulators increasingly demand scenario analyses from business to assess the environmental impact. In the EU the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) is requiring climate risk analysis based on scenarios.  The approach is to be extended to biodiversity. Why and what exactly is demanded? In this workshop we will:

• get an understanding of current regulatory requirements and plans in the EU,
• learn about the merits of scenarios, how they are constructed and why they are required,
• look at the existing scenario landscape developed for climate-change related issues,
• elaborate, about similarities and differences between climate scenarios and those on biodiversity,
• look at the business implications of the regulatory requirements and their impact on behaviours,
• elaborate on policy makers’ options about influencing business behaviour.

After the session you will have a better understanding of the current EU regulatory demands on business, know how scenarios are constructed and their limitations and if and how this impacts business with respect to biodiversity.

Organizer
Dr. Jürgen Stanowsky, Market & Beyond, Germany, juergen_stanowsky@web.de

For this workshop, please register here: https://tinyurl.com/4bepz46u

In conjunction with the World Biodiversity Forum, the Young Scholars Initiative will host an Early Career Researchers and Professionals Workshop. The senior scholars (mentors) to support the workshop are Dr. Cornelia Krug, University of Zurich, Prof Rehema White (tbc), University of St Andrews, and Alice Ruhweza (tbc), World Widelife Fund.
During the workshop, Early Career Researchers and Professionals will have the opportunity to contribute to the conference resolutions. This will be premised on ideas and issues that were highlighted during the workshop.
The workshop will end with a networking event in the evening of Monday 17th June, 2024.

Main Organizer
Ajibola Anthony AKANJI in collaboration with YSI (Young Scholars Initiative), akanjiajibola16@yahoo.com

This workshop is taking place after the conference week from 21.-23 June

Biodiversity is changing rapidly, but our ability to capture baselines and change in species distributions remains limited. This hampers progress in providing measurement and decision-support that maximizes outcomes for biodiversity. Some biodiversity data types are seeing rapid growth, new environmental layers are delivering increasingly relevant information, and modeling advances are offering novel opportunities for effective data integration. But at global scale, data gaps and biases continue to limit the usefulness of existing approaches in appropriately representing species and their distributional changes. Taxonomically and geographically highly incomplete and uneven sampling means that a critical subset of species remains excluded from products, and that vast uncertainties that hitherto remain largely unquantified cause biases in downstream products. Such incomplete and biased biodiversity products may have perverse outcomes for conservation, as important places are being missed or prioritized erroneously.

The goal of this workshop is to assess existing and emerging approaches and tools that can help address this issue. Specifically, we will explore avenues for delivering species distribution ‘essential biodiversity variables’ (SD EBVs, and their downstream products) that comprehensively include all species of a particular group at global scale while appropriately capturing and communicating uncertainty. Recent relevant developments include a range of data integration methods, joint distribution models, deep learning, downscaling methods, ‘borrowing strength’ approaches, and others.

We will start by sharing our current approaches in the systems we work in and then jointly delineate the major avenues for potential progress. The idea is to then go into breakouts to drill deeper into specific approaches and to go back in the full group to identify priority steps, relevant diagnostics, species systems, target products etc. to make and showcase progress.

Organizers
Walter Jetz, Yale University, walter.jetz@yale.edu
Nick Zimmermann, Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL, niklaus.zimmermann@wsl.ch
Kevin Winner, Yale University, kevin.winner@yale.edu
Shubhi Sharma, Yale University, shubhi.sharma@yale.edu
Beth Gerstner, Yale University, beth.egerstner@yale.edu
Benjamin Kellenberger, Yale University and University College London, benjamin.kellenberger@yale.edu