Under the theme of the World Biodiversity Forum 2026 Leading Transformation Together, sessions will be arranged in 10 thematic tracks, from a more fundamental discussion of biodiversity change to economic risks, finances, legislation, and opportunities for action. We invite proposals for sessions, workshops and cultural events within these thematic tracks.
You can now submit your sessions and workshop proposals under the thematic track that seems the best fit, directly through the dedicated platform. Before you submit, please make sure to read the convener guidelines which should clarify most questions. Please feel free to also submit sessions on novel topics – if they do not receive enough abstracts we will merge them with other sessions later on. A note for arts and culture: We expect that most proposed sessions and workshops fit within one of the thematic tracks. Only for arts and culture events outside of regular session times or rooms (e.g. over lunch time, outside, etc.), there is a specific track ART Arts and culture for biodiversity.
The World Biodiversity Forum WBF2026 will be held as an in-person event.
Sun, 14 June 2026: Workshops, training sessions, networking meetings
Mon, 15 – Thu, 18 June 2026: Oral and poster sessions, workshops, events
Fri, 19 June 2026: Excursions in the beautiful surroundings of Davos
We invite proposals from researchers, practitioners, policy- and decision-makers and actors from different sectors such as for example business and finance, agriculture, arts, and others as well as Indigenous People. All proposals are submitted to one of the thematic tracks led by seminal scholars in the field.
The deadline for session and workshop proposal submissions is on 13 August 2025.
Thematic Tracks
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- BEF - Biodiversity-ecosystem functioning
This track covers sessions related to fundamental scientific biodiversity research, and the relation of biodiversity and ecosystem functions. Sessions can address any level of biological organization, ranging from microbes to plants, animals, selected biomes, etc. Sessions that span across biological levels or spatial and temporal scales and biomes are particularly welcome.
Responsible for this track:
Jeannine Cavender Bares
Xiaojuan Liu - IND - From measurements to biodiversity indicators and impact metrics
This track covers sessions with a focus on the development of biodiversity indicators and metrics. Topics ranging from biodiversity measurements (including discussions on in situ (e.g. eDNA) to remote sensing), to the identification and definition of indicators and metrics that can be used to assess, for example the impact of businesses or success of conservation. Session proposals can also address existing data sources, needs, structure, governance and management, and funding related topics, toward a global biodiversity observation and data system.
Responsible for this track:
Fabian Schneider
Alice Hughes - NEX - Biodiversity nexus - interlinkage of biodiversity with water, food, health, and climate change
This track covers sessions with a focus on biodiversity’s contribution to nexus topics which recognizes both how biodiversity impacts and is impacted by interactions between biodiversity, food, health, water and climate. We particularly focus on elements which recognize and articulate biodiversity’s contributions to navigating transitions to healthier and more sustainable food, health, environmental and climate systems with reflections that range from the landscape to planetary scales (e.g. nature based solutions in the broadest sense). We welcome reflections, and more importantly examples on the use of biodiversity in providing lasting solutions (response options) as articulated in a growing number of more systemic approaches such as One Health, Planetary Health, and Agroecology.
Responsible for this track:
Maria Santos
Fabrice de Clerck
Nelly Maasai - FUT - Futures of biodiversity and approaches to envision, predict, achieve these futures
This track covers sessions that address the future of biodiversity, ecosystems and society. What are desirable futures for biodiversity and people? What would novel ecosystems look like? How can we predict the future of biodiversity and ecosystems? How do we build biodiversity-centric scenarios? What methods are well suited to envision or predict desirable biodiverse futures from social sciences to statistical and process-based models? What are latest innovations, AI- and digital twin-based methods and their prediction capabilities and uncertainties? How can we be inclusive of diverse values, rights and stakeholders in envisioning desirable futures? How can we achieve these futures?
Responsible for this track:
HyeJin Kim
Laura Pereira
Brian W. Miller - FIN - Biodiversity, economic risks and finance
This track covers sessions with a focus of biodiversity and businesses and finance. This includes how to assess biodiversity related risks for business and finance from micro- to macro-level, how to report biodiversity impact and dependency, and how to shift businesses and finance toward practices with biodiversity-positive outcomes and scientifically credible biodiversity markets. What methods and technologies might support these markets (e.g. blockchain)? What are ethical considerations on biodiversity markets?
Responsible for this track:
Oliver Schelske
Zacharias Sautner
Joe Bull
Niak Koh - LEG - Legislation and biodiversity
This track covers sessions around legal, regulatory and governance issues pertaining to biodiversity, including developments in biodiversity rights, liabilities, international and domestic legal/regulatory/governance frameworks and innovative approaches to using private, public and international legal frameworks and tools. (The track is open to issues engaging public/private law as well as matters of public/private international law and both hard and soft law instruments).
Responsible for this track:
Lynne Shannon
Nina Braude
Alessandro Mazzi - GBF - Implementing and achieving the GBF goals and targets
This track covers sessions that address how nations and societies can achieve the Kunming-Montréal Global Biodiversity Framework targets and what is needed to operationalize transformative change in order to bend the curve of biodiversity loss until 2030. This tracks also includes how to make conservation effective to foster biodiversity for the future at all levels, including genetic, functional, species diversity.
Responsible for this track:
Laetizia Navarro
Maggie Hunter - TRA - Transformative change, reconnecting with nature and the role of Indigenous Peoples
This track covers sessions discussing transformative change and how we can achieve it. What does transformative change mean, what are important elements? What is people's relation to biodiversity and how can people reconnect with nature? What roles can Indigenous Peoples play in supporting/driving transformative change needed for a just and sustainable world?
Responsible for this track:
Lynne Shannon
Markku Oksanen - CON - Connecting science, society and practice
This track covers sessions that discuss how to connect rights holders and stakeholders across all sectors of society, including science, practice, policy, society, and Indigenous Peoples, to create actionable knowledge to foster biodiversity. Sessions might focus on specific formats of co-production, such as living labs, as a format to connect complex systems and structure, but can also cover topics related to communication and biodiversity. How can all stakeholders most effectively communicate biodiversity science? How to maintain and increase trust and influence of science on biodiversity topics?
Responsible for this track:
Cornelia Krug
Andrea Bandelli - ART - Arts and culture for biodiversity (only special formats outside of regular session and workshop time slots)
This track covers all arts and culture activities that will happen outside of the regular session and workshop schedule structure (for example over lunch, outside, during reception, dinner etc.) - all other arts and culture components are expected to fit into the general tracks to mix with other disciplines.
Responsible for this track:
Irène Hediger
Gabriela Schaepman
Andrea Bandelli
Convener Guidelines WBF2026
Thank you for your willingness to contribute to the World Biodiversity Forum WBF2026 as a session or workshop organizer. Below we provide information to help you in all stages of proposing, organizing and convening a session. Information will be added to this page step-by-step as we approach the event. Make sure you read the information below carefully.
Proposal submission – general information
WBF2026 features sessions, workshops and cultural events. The program is based on 9 thematic tracks, to which all sessions and workshops belong. Proposals for cultural events that do not fit into a session or workshop format should be submitted to thematic track 10 . The program is developed with the following steps:
- Public call proposals for sessions, workshops and cultural events opening in early June
- Proposal review, selection and revision, including mergers of sessions and workshops by the WBF Scientific Committee
- Notice of session evaluation to session and workshop proposers around mid-September
- Public call for abstracts for oral and poster sessions in early autumn
- Abstract review by the session conveners
- Overall program scheduling and session slot allocation by the Organizing Committee
- Detailed session scheduling by the conveners in collaboration with the WBF Scientific and Organizing Committees
Definition of formats and submission specifications
- Session: scientific oral and poster sessions with compulsory participant abstract submission, structured in 90 min. slots, in dedicated session rooms, from Monday, 15 – Thursday, 18 June 2026.
–> For a session, you choose one of the thematic tracks 1-9, identify a convener* and co-conveners, give a title, and write a session description (300 words/1800 characters max.). - Workshop: free format for workshops, trainings or courses without participant abstract submission, structured in 90 min. slots, in dedicated session rooms or outside, from Sunday, 14 – Thursday, 18 June 2026.
–> For a workshop, you choose a thematic track, identify a convener* and co-conveners, give a title, and write a description (300 words/1800 characters max.), which must specify a) duration (in 90 min. slots), b) goals, and c) expected outcomes. - A note on cultural events: Cultural events that do not fit into a session or workshop format must submit their proposal for the thematic track 10 „Arts and Culture for Biodiversity“. This is only for special formats outside of regular session and workshop time slots. There is no abstract submission.
–> Identify a convener* and co-conveners, give a title and write a description (300 words/1800 characters max.), which must specify a) the type of event, b) the preferred location, c) the planned duration, and d) necessary equipment (technical or otherwise. The WBF Scientific and Organizing Committees reserve the right to check the feasibility of the events within the framework of the WBF.
* A convener is the organiser in charge of a session, workshop or cultural event, and primary point of contact for the organization. Co-conveners support the convener. A convener team consists of a minium of two conveners (1 lead convener and 1 co-convener) and a maximum of 5 conveners (1 lead-convener and 4 co-conveners) per session.
Rules and general guidelines for conveners
The following rules for conveners and co-conveners apply during proposal submission and session organization. Please be aware that not abiding by these rules can prevent the programme finalization in the system:
- Proposal submission opens in early June 2025 and closes on 13 August 2025, midnight CEST. Late submissions are not possible.
- The member of the convener team who submits a session proposal agrees to become the point of contact for the session for all session-specific communications with abstract submitters and WBF organizers. This means that their email address will be listed alongside their name on the programme. Changes to the point of contact and/or additional points of contact can be appointed at a later stage.
- One person can have a maximum of 3 (co-)convenerships in total, with one as lead convener and a maximum of two as co-convener.
- The convener or a co-convener must be present in person in Davos at least on the day of the workshop, session or cultural event and chair the session, workshop or cultural event.
- WBF2026 is an in-person event, the proposed session, workshop or cultural event cannot be held hybrid or online.
- Each person attending your session, workshop or cultural event (you, and all conveners, speakers, panellists, audience) must register and pay the registration fee (single day or full conference depending on attendance). The WBF organisation does not provide funds to invite speakers or pay for their registration.
- For sessions: Every abstract, also from speakers who you invite for your session, must be submitted through the abstract submission platform. The convener of a session is responsible for the abstract review and scheduling of presentations. The convener team is in charge of the abstract review, which will take place from mid-December 2025 to late January 2026. Further, the convener team is in charge of the detailed schedule of their allocated session slots (order of orals). The number of session slots (=90min periods) allocated for each thematic session is based on the number of submitted abstracts for a session, and is determined by the Organizing Committee.
- For workshops: It is not possible to submit participants’ abstracts for workshops through the abstract submission platform.
- For cultural events: Proposals with insufficient information regarding preferred location, duration and equipment will not be considered.
Further considerations for conveners
- We encourage conveners to build their teams and organize their sessions considering criteria of diversity in gender, career stage, and geographic affiliation.
- Lead conveners should check with all co-conveners that they agree to take part in the proposed session and to contribute to the session organization. All co-conveners should review the convener rules and guidelines.
- Conveners do not obtain discounts or waivers on the abstract processing charges or the conference registration fee.
- The WBF organisation will advertise the conference and the entire programme, but cannot advertise individual sessions. We kindly ask the organizers to advertise their session or workshop once their proposal has been accepted and when the call for abstracts is open.
- Conveners will be submitting proposals with the tools of the Copernicus Office Meeting Organizer online system. For this purpose they need to register to the system with a user account. Only registered conveners can access the online system.