Events

Upcoming Events

21 February 2024: Annual Alternet Council Meeting (Brussels, Belgium)

Past Events

Alternet & INRAE SPI Webinar: Science-policy interface in practice

INRAE is organizing a PEER-Alternet webinar, as part of the Alternet Science-Policy webinars series, on January 11, from 1:30pm to 3pm CET.

The webinar will focus on “Science-policy interface in practice” by presenting the example of the collective scientific expertise “The impacts of plant protection products on biodiversity and ecosystem services”, which INRAE coordinated with IFREMER at the request of the three French ministries in charge of research, agriculture and ecological transition.

This webinar will promote the results of this collective scientific expertise and but will also be the opportunity to initiate a dialogue on the science-policy interface and on the role of scientific expertise in informing public debate and the construction of public policies.

10-11 January 2024: CO-OP4CBD Consortium Meeting (INBO – Brussels, Belgium)

8-9 January: Alternet Management Board Meeting (INBO – Brussels, Belgium)

7 December – INRAE Conference: Mobilising research in support to the EU forest strategy for 2030

On behalf of the French National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment (INRAE), we would like to invite you to the upcoming conference:

“Mobilising research in support to the EU forest strategy for 2030: How can research on temperate and tropical forest ecosystems meet the objectives of European environmental policies?”

The event will be held on 7 December (9:00 am – 4:00 pm), in Brussels at the Maison Irène et Frédéric Joliot-Curie (Rue du Trône 100, 1050 Brussels).

Please find here the draft agenda of the conference. This event is free of charge but registration is mandatory due to the limited number of seats. To attend the event, please register HERE.

For any question, please contact europe@inrae.fr

22 November 2023 – International Science Fete 2023 Webinar

The International Science Fete 2023 Webinar, co-organized jointly by CIRAD, IRD, the French representation to the United Nations, and our own Alternet partners at INRAE, will be held on 22 November. Learn more and register.

17 November 2023: Alternet Management Board Meeting (Remote)

17 October 2023: NBS Conference in Bordeux, France

A conference of high interest on the subject of nature-based solutions is to be held in Bordeux, France on 17 October 2023.
The theme of this conference will be “The Nature-Based Solution We Want: Shifting perspectives on rural and peri-urban nature-based solutions.” It is organized by the research network Tackling Global Change (Action 3) in conjunction with the interdisciplinary and international network, GovERN.
The complete programme for this event can be found here, and interested persons can register using the following link: https://evento.renater.fr/survey/17-10-colloque-the-nature-based-solution-we-want-6fhlij5d.

30 August – 9 September: Alternet Summer School 2023

Location: Peyresq, France

23-24 Feb 2023: Alternet Council Meeting 

Location: INBO, Brussels

21-22 Feb 2023: Coop4CBD project launch

Location: INBO, Brussels

12-13 Jan 2023: Alternet MB Meeting

The annual in-person meeting of the Alternet Management Board will be held in Brussels, Belgium on 12-13 January 2023.

BioAgora Launch

The BioAgora project was officially launched on November 10th in Helsinki, Finland. The launch event was hosted by the project lead partners at SYKE and was attended by Alternet and Eklipse leadership, as well as a great number of Alternet partners from diverse member institutes.

The ultimately successful BioAgora proposal consortium was brought together by Alternet and is recognized as a success story of the Alternet Call Exchange and consortium-building mechanism.

BioAgora is “a collaborative European project funded by the Horizon Europe programme. It aims to connect research results on biodiversity to the needs of decision-making in a targeted dialogue between scientists, other knowledge holders and policy actors.”

At the end of the project, the intended BioAgora output will be a “fair and functional” Science Service for Biodiversity in Europe. This service will be used to orchestrate the processes and initiatives of the European-scale science-policy interface.

BioAgora project launch!

Alternet & CESAM SPI Webinar: Challenges in marine conservation and sustainable use

CESAM hosted the fourth installment in the Alternet Science-Policy Interface seminar series on 27 October 2022. This free, open webinar addressed such topics as gaps in knowledge, biodiversity beyond national jurisdiction, and capacity building and technology transfer in marine sciences.

Presentations were be given by three specialist researchers. The webinar was moderated by Dr. Ana Lillebø, a well-established researcher in Coastal Ecosystems in a transdisciplinary context. Ana Lillebø is the Vice-Chair of Alternet Council and member of the 3rd Eklipse Knowledge Coordination Body.

Speakers

  • Dr Ana Hilário is a deep-sea ecologist which research is focused on biodiversity and biogeography of chemosynthetic ecosystems, reproductive ecology of invertebrates, and population connectivity. Ana has contributed to the policy process by authoring and reviewing the UN Assessment of the State of the Marine Environment I and II, and has worked with Portuguese Ministry of the Sea in the design of a national network of MPAs. Currently she co-leads Challenger 150 (www.challenger150.world), a 10-year programme of deep-sea biological science endorsed by UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development.
  • Dr Catarina Eira develops research on biological sciences with emphasis on biodiversity conservation and marine biology. Catarina is the head of the Centre for Research and Rehabilitation of Marine Animals, dedicated to supporting the rescue, rehabilitation and release into the wild of marine animals, of the ECOMARE – Laboratory for the Innovation and Sustainability of Marine Biological Resources.
  • Dr Cristina Pita is a specialist in fisheries, with a strong focus on small-scale fisheries, sustainable seafood markets, marine resource management, marine governance and coastal cultural heritage. Cristina integrates the pool of national experts for the United Nations World Ocean Assessment (UN-WOAII), covering the socioeconomic aspects of fisheries.

Alternet Summer School 2022

Alternet Summer School 2022 will be held 20-30 September in Peyresq. The theme of this year’s programme will be “Biodiversity and societal transformation: perspectives on science and policy.”

Alternet Conference 2022

The 2022 Alternet Conference will be held 14-17 June 2022 in Ghent, Belgium. The theme of this conference will be: “Transformative Changes for Biodiversity and Health.”

Learn more on the official conference webpage.

European Scientific Conference: Towards Pesticide Free Agriculture

In the context of the French Presidency of the Council of the European Union, INRAE is organising a conference on “Towards Pesticide Free Agriculture : What research to meet the pesticides reduction objectives embedded in the European Green Deal?” as part of the official presidency programme.

The conference, which will take place on the 2-3 June 2022 in Dijon, France, will provide a state of play of the science fronts that the European research is exploring in order to break away from the current food system known to be heavily dependent on chemical pesticides. The major goal is to contribute to respond to the ambitious pesticide reduction objective of the European Green Deal. In order to encourage exchanges among participants, there will be no visioconference system – participation requires physical presence.

Registration is now open with this formMore information on the conference program are available in the leaflet in attachment and the conference website.

We are pleased to welcome members of the Alternet community to this event.

Science-Policy Webinar hosted by SYKE and Alternet

On 3 February 2022, SYKE will host the first of Alternet’s SPI seminar series. This special webinar will feature introductions to the European biodiversity and ecosystems science-policy landscape and Alternet SPI activities, a keynote on supporting biodiversity governance and policies in the EU with science, a panel discussion with science-policy specialists from relevant fields, and more.

Etusivu

 

Contributing speakers will include: Maurice Hoffmann (INBO, Alternet), Eeva Primmer (SYKE), Eeva Furman (SYKE), Ben Delbaere (Delbaere Consulting), Marie Vandewalle (UFZ, Eklipse), Riikka Paloniemi (SYKE), Juliette Young (INRAE), as well as the following panel speakers:

  • Forestry: Georg Winkel, Wageningen University
  • Health: Babette Simon, Faculté de Santé, Université de Paris
  • Urban development: Niki Frantzeskaki, Utrecht University
  • Critical comments and questions to the panelists by Riikka Paloniemi, SYKE, and Juliette Young, INRAE

Date: 3 February 2022
Time: 14:00-16:00
Webinar Link: TBD

Learn more on the official event page.

Implementing the Collective Approach in Agri-environmental Schemes – Evidence from Science and Practice

On the 28th of January 2022 from 9:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. the EU-funded research & innovation project Contracts2.0 hosts an Online Policy Event entitled: Implementing the Collective Approach in Agri-environmental Schemes – Evidence from Science and Practice.

Contracts2.0 develops innovative contractual solutions to strengthen participation in agri-environmental measures (AEM) and improve their effectiveness. One of the innovative approaches looked at, is the collective implementation of AEM. 

This event summarizes relevant project results focusing on the collective approach to inform stakeholders involved in implementing the national strategic plans across Europe. In the first part, we will present findings from our scientific work packages: How to facilitate effective and efficient implementation of this novel approach?  The second part will shine a light on the diversity of collective agreements.

Three case studies (UK, BE, and NL) will illustrate different implementation depths of the collective approach. A Q&A session will conclude the event. We want to discuss the practical implementation and its potential policy implications with a panel and the audience.

  • Save the date: 28 January 2022 from 9:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Exploring Landscape Boundaries – Open Seminars

Established at the EMÜ (Estonian University of Life Sciences), Chair of Landscape Architecture, the monthly ELB seminars bring together scientists, specialists, researchers, explorers, and students from different disciplines to talk about their work on the topic of landscapes.

The hosts aim to promote the open science movement and landscape architecture as an interdisciplinary profession. They also aim to bring a holistic understanding of the importance of landscape today.

Next seminar: Friday, 26 November – 12:00 CET

Connect with the ELB hosts:

Management Board Meeting 2021


The 2021 meeting of the Alternet Management Board will meet at INBO in Brussels, with the possibility of virtual participation for those who cannot attend in-person.

  • Dates: 3rd-4th November 2021, noon-till-noon

Alternet Summer School 2021: 6-16th October

The 2021 Summer School will take place in Peyresq 6-16th October 2021, subject to national COVID regulations on travel. Open to graduate and postgraduate scientists (as well as professionals in related fields), the Alternet Summer School provides an innovative atmosphere for considering and resolving the sustainability challenges that society is currently facing.

Peyresq, a picturesque village in the Haute-de-Provence Alpes, provides an unparalleled setting for dynamic discussions.

Key topics include:

  • Biodiversity loss and conservation
  • Ecosystem services, ecosystem service valuation, and nature’s contributions to people
  • The biodiversity science-policy interface
  • Inter- and trans-disciplinary approaches to ecosystem sciences
  • Working with stakeholders to foster transformative change

Registration closed.

Climate Change and Health nexus | EU Green Deal webinar series

Alternet members are invited to the upcoming HERA webinar from the series Research for the EU Green Deal. This 4th webinar will focus on Climate Change and Health interlinkages and will be held on September 17th, at 2:00 PM CET (Paris/Prague/Geneva time).

This webinar will be chaired by Pr. Robert Barouki from Inserm, Université de Paris, France. Our distinguished guest speakers will be exploring some aspects at Climate Change and Health nexus. HERA recommendations for further research will be presented and discussed, further discussion is suggested on the recent IPCC report.

Speakers and topics will include:

  • Lisbeth Hall (National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, NL)
    Impacts of climate change on health and health impacts of climate mitigation measures
  • Jérôme Boissier (Université de Perpignan, FR)
    Persistent establishment of a tropical disease in the south of Europe : the case of Schistosomiasis
  • Ariana Zeka (Brunel University, London, UK)
    Migration/social inequalities linked to climate change
  • Martin Herrmann (German Alliance on Climate Change and Health, DE)
    Transformational change and Climate change

The webinar is organized by the HERA project consortium on a GoToMeeting platform and will be run in English only. We also look for active participation and questions from the audience.

Please register here and we would appreciate you sharing information about this event within your organizations or networks.

In-Between Council Meeting 2021


The in-between meeting of the Alternet Council to finalize the 2021 budget will be held virtually.

  • Dates: 26 February 2021

One Planet Summit for Biodiversity


France, with the United Nations and the World Bank, is organizing a ‘One Planet Summit’ for biodiversity on 11 January 2021 in Paris. The Summit will bring together heads of state and government, leaders of international organizations, financial institutions, companies and NGOs, all ready to demonstrate that their commitments are leading to concrete actions to preserve and restore biodiversity, and to lead systemic transformations of our economies. This high-level meeting is a major milestone for the political mobilization for nature in 2021, the year that should lead to an ambitious new international agreement on biodiversity.

  • Date: 11 January 2021

Alternet Council Meeting 2020


The 2020 meeting of the Alternet Council was hosted by CESAM and held virtually.

  • Dates: 10-11 December 2020