Date & time: 22 April 2026, 09:30-16:40 (UTC+0, Azores local time)
Format: Hybrid (Azores and online)
Transformative change is often invoked as essential to tackling biodiversity loss, yet what it looks like in practice remains an open question. The BiodivTransform call was designed to address this, supporting projects that challenge underlying systems, values, and power structures.
The kick-off meeting on 22 April 2026 offers a first opportunity to see how this ambition is being translated into research and action. Bringing together funded projects in Ponta Delgada (Azores) and online, the event will showcase diverse approaches to rethinking relationships between nature, governance systems, and economic models. From energy transitions and urban ecosystems to conflict transformation and environmental justice, each project provides a different entry point into how deep societal shifts can support biodiversity.
Designed as a rapid exchange of ideas, the meeting will feature concise project pitches followed by discussion, with a strong focus on actionable insights.
This event takes place the day after the Biodiversa+ Science-Policy Forum (21 April), where we’ll explore how transformative change can move from concept to implementation in support of biodiversity across Europe and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF). Don’t forget to register for the Forum as well!
09:30 – 09:35 Welcome words & introduction, by Magnus Tannerfeldt (Co-Chair of Biodiversa+, FORMAS, Sweden)
09:35 – 09:45 Welcome words by the European Commission, by Bastian Bertzky (Policy Officer, DG Research & Innovation, European Commission) & Bénédicte Blaudeau (Policy Officer, DG Environment, European Commission)
09:45 – 10:00 General impression of the BiodivTransform Call, by Mariel Aguilar Stoen (Scientific Co-Chair of the BiodivTransform Evaluation Committee, University of Oslo, Norway)
10:00 – 10:25 Keynote speech: Transformative change, biodiversity, science – Our next move, by Jerneja Penca (BiodivTransfrom EvC member, Mediterranean Institute for Environmental Studies, Slovenia)
10:25 – 11:15 Moderated by Mariana Walter (BiodivTransform EvC member, Institut Barcelona d’Estudis Internacionals, Spain)
- MARE-WIND – Biodiversity and Offshore Wind: Understanding Transformative Impacts on Marine Ecosystems, by Krishna Das
- BRET – Evidence-Based Strategies for a Biodiversity-positive Renewable Energy Transition, by Hongxiao Jin
- BIOGAIN – Enabling biodiversity-positive transformation of energy planning towards climate neutrality, by Alexandra Jiricka-Pürrer
- UrbanOcean – Urbanisation of the sea – assessing and managing the impact of Offshore Wind developments on open ocean biodiversity, by Gustav Hellström
- TRANS4BIO – Integrated Energy Transition Across Scales for Climate-Resilient, Nature-and-People Positive Biodiversity Pathways, by Adis Dzebo
- JustBioSolar – Green Energy Transitions in Europe: Impacts on Biodiversity, Landscapes and Justice, by Lasse Loft
11:15 – 11:35 Coffee break
11:35 – 12:20 Moderated by Osamu Saito (BiodivTransform EvC member, Institute for Global Environmental Strategies, Japan)
- ACT – Advancing transformative governanCe through Transboundary conservation and collaborative learning, by Stine Rybråten
- ACTSustainably – Enabling Transformative Actions to Leverage Sustainability of Eurasian Grasslands, by Katharina Gugerell
- FLOODTRAIN – From knowledge to action: Empowerment and Training of Floodplain Restoration Managers, by Astrid Schmidt-Kloiber
- WORMSOUT PLUS – Bearded fireWORM invaSiOn: UnderwaTer monitoring, biodiversity and social impacts, PotentiaL indUstrial application and mitigation Strategies, by Michela D’Alessandro
- REDESIGN – Restoration and Depopulation Synergies for Nature presented by Dominik Kaim
- ICE BRIDGE – Bridging Ice Climate Technologies and Governance for Biodiversity in the Arctic, by Romain Chuffart
- PaCE – Peace and Conservation of Ecology at Disputed Seas, by Denise Margaret Matias
12:20 – 13:45 Lunch break
13:45 – 14:30 Moderated by Ronit Amit (BiodivTransform EvC member, Centro de Investigación en Biodiversidad y Ecología Tropical, Costa Rica)
- PEACE – Participatory Engagement for Adaptation and Conservation Efforts, by Björn Vollan
- CoexHuB – Leveraging transformative capacities for the governance of human-bear-coexistence in Europe. An integrated socialecological-institutional approach, by Stefano Civitarese Matteucci
- BiodiverCities – A Roadmap for Fostering Human Wildlife Coexistence in Greening Cities, by Erica von Essen
- TIDELINES – Transformative change and Innovations for Diverse beach Ecosystems and sustainable Livelihoods through Enhanced wrack maNagEment Strategies, by Jan-Niklas Macher
- MPA4Fish – Socio-ecological planning of no-fishing MPAs to benefit fisheries, by Mark Costello
- PathChange – Pathways of constructive conflict transformation to foster transformative change in wetland restoration, by Diana Hummel
- POWERSHIFT – Understanding and Shifting Power in Biodiversity Conservation by Integrating Insights from Social Change Movements, by Juliette Young
14:35 – 15:25 Moderated by Cecilia Simões (BiodivTransform EvC member, Brazil)
- SURPRISES – Building anticipatory governance of social-ecological tipping points in transformative change planning for ocean sustainability, by Joachim Claudet
- ATTITUDE – A transformation through improved practice: targeting urgent sustainable development needs by enabling restorative aquaculture, by Sara Hornborg
- OpTIBES – Optimisation of Tree Species selection for Improved Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, by Göran Wallin
- BIOREFOREST – Reforestation of forests and orchards after disturbances: A transformative action plan balancing socioeconomic and biodiversity needs, by Matthias Noll
- BIODENCITY – Reversing Biodiversity Decline in Densification Strategies using Innovative Sensing, Systemic Solutions and Data Driven City modelling for Transformative Change, by Meta Berghauser Pont
- InvaSyn – Invasion Syndromes: transforming the understanding and management of biological invasions, by Ana Novoa Pérez
- SEAWATCH – Transforming fishing vessels into stewards to protect biodiversity through the integration of eDNA metabarcoding, satellite data and AI, by Tommaso Russo
- Urbloom – Transform urban flowerbeds for the future: sustainable use and pollinator conservation, by Alice Michelot-Antalik
15:25 – 15:45 Coffee break
15:45 – 16:30 Moderated by Isabel Mesquita (BiodivTransform EvC member, Global Landscapes Forum, Brazil)
- MultiDiv – Diversity in process: Towards multispecies assemblages for biodiversity governance, by Maja Schlüter
- SKETCH – Social-ecological KEystone places for Transformative Change in safeguarding coastal biodiversity, by Annette Breckwoldt
- RECON – Fostering Systemic Societal Transformation for Biodiversity Conservation through Nature Reconnection, by Katarzyna Rędzińska
- EcologicalPilgrimage – Ecological Pilgrimage: Engaging with biodiversity through walking interventions, by Emily Höckert
- LEVER – Enhancing PLurivErsality for a Human Rights-Based Approach (HRBA): GoVERning the Climate-Biodiversity-Pollution Nexus, by Tilman Hertz
- WildHarvest – Understanding and recognising wild products harvesting by Indigenous and Local communities to promote environmental justice and halt biodiversity erosion, by Herve Fritz
- ProEcoRice – A transformative production system for making rice paddies biodiverse and climate neutral, by Gurbir Singh Bhullar
16:30 – 16:35 A few words by the Biodiversa+ Follow-up team, by Ondřej Kusbach (BiodivTransform Follow-up Team, TA CR, Czech Republic)
16:35 – 16:40 Concluding words, by Magnus Tannerfeldt
