Pro-Coast 2024 Calendar

Presented below is a summary of the major events that took place in 2024 as part of Pro-Coast.

In 2024, Pro-Coast members participated in a wide range of global events, including conferences, workshops, and webinars. These events provided opportunities to showcase the project's work on biodiversity, equality, and sustainability through presentations, collaborative workshops, and scientific discussions, advancing its mission to support nature-based solutions and promote inclusive conservation practices globally.

- December 10th: European Research Area Workshop: Equality under the Weather? Sex and Gender in Research on Climate (Change).

Online Conference. Presentation: Dr Alexander Yendell, researcher at the Research Institute Social Cohesion (Leipzig section), delivered an insightful presentation on Gender and Intersectionality Dimensions in Pro-Coast.

- December 10-16: Plenary of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES). Windhoek, Namibia.

- November 26-27: CommOCEAN Conference on Ocean Communication.

Malaga, Spain. Click on the link below for further information.

- November 25-28: 4th Mediterranean Geosciences Union (MedGU).

Barcelona, Spain. Annual Meeting. Click on the link below for more information.

- November 24-27: European Coastal Challenge Summit - Littoral 24.

EUCC International Conference. Ovidius University of Constanta, Romania. Learn more about this event by visiting the link provided below.

- November 20-21: 3rd Steering Committee Meeting. Koper, Slovenia.

Alongside this on-site event, a workshop on Collaborative Key Performance Indicator (KPI) Development provided participants with strategies to define and measure project success effectively.

- November 20-21: iDiv Annual Conference.

Location: Leipzig, Germany. Dr Alexander Yendell gave a presentation on: Societal Dynamics and Loss of Coastal Ecosystem Biodiversity: A Sociological Multi-Level Review.

- October 20-23: 3rd World Conference on Climate Change & Sustainability.

Location: Barcelona, Spain. This conference brings together experts, policymakers, and stakeholders to discuss innovative solutions and strategies for addressing climate change and promoting sustainability.

- October 20-23: Conservation Social Science Conference 2024.

Dr Ann-Marie Nienaber delivered two presentations: (a) Change Agents and Their Decisive Role in Driving Change in Communities; (b) Behavioral Change for Transformation Combined with a Stakeholder Engagement Approach.

- October 1-2: MonGOOS General Assembly and Workshop.

Location: Malaga, Spain. Workshop theme: Boost the understanding of the Mediterranean for adaptation to climate change and extreme events.

- August 2nd: Paper Publication.

Title: Assessing Benthic Macroinvertebrate Communities’ Spatial Heterogeneity in Mediterranean Transitional Waters through eDNA Metabarcoding. Publication: Scientific Reports, edited by Springer-Nature.

Authors: Maurizio Pinna, Francesco Zangaro & Valeria Specchia. Partners Involved: University of Salento. Read the full article below.

- September 25th: NetworkNature Annual Event 2024.

Theme: Busting myths: People with nature. Location: Brussels, Belgium. Organiser: NetworkNature. This annual conference focuses on the relationship between people and nature in addressing global challenges.

- September 22nd: Climate Change Morning at Streedagh Beach.

The Pro-Coast project participated in the “Climate Change Morning at Streedagh Beach,” an event led by the Earth-HB Research Group at ATU-Sligo. As part of the Irish case study, Dr. Salem Gharbia’s team, including Mahdieh Raji and Fredrick Otieno, facilitated an engaging discussion on the urgent issue of coastal erosion. The event featured a beach clean-up and fostered collaboration among local communities, NGOs, researchers, and County Council members, focusing on the protection and restoration of sand dunes.

- August 26-30: 14th International Conference on Ecological Restoration.

Theme: Bringing Science, Practice, and Policy of Nature Restoration. Location: Tartu, Estonia. Organiser: European Chapter of the Society for Ecological Restoration (SERE).

- July 16th: Research Design Workshop. Online.

- June 24-27: International Sandy Beaches Symposium (ISBS 2024).

Dr Alexander Yendell delivered a presentation titled: Societal Influences on Coastal Ecosystem Biodiversity Loss: A Multi-Level Analytical Approach. Located in Lecce (Italy), this event was organised by: the Department of Biological and Environmental Science and Technologies, the University of Salento; LifeWatch Italy; and Posidonia Green Project.

For further information about the International Sandy Beaches Symposium, please visit the official website:

- June 24-25: British Ecological Society Symposium.

Theme: Resilient Landscapesfor People, Nature and Climate. Location: University of Birmingham. Robert Kenward showed the poster "Pro-Coast: helping people to transition for nature and climate". A link to the poster is provided below.

- June 21st: Open Innovation Challenge Ceremony.

Location: Brussels, Belgium Organiser: GreenSCENT project. The ceremony celebrates the Open Innovation Challenge launched under the GreenSCENT project, with Pro-Coast invited to participate.

- June 18-20: Nature-Based Solutions Conference 2024.

Location: Oxford University Museum of Natural History and online.

- June 16-21: World Biodiversity Forum 2024.

Location: Congress Centre Davos, Switzerland. The forum brings together experts, policymakers, and stakeholders to discuss global biodiversity challenges and solutions.

- June 16-19: 15th International Sustainability Transitions Conference.

Location: Oslo, Norway. The conference explored the theme "Sustainability Transitions and Nature" and brought together researchers and practitioners to discuss innovative approaches to sustainable development.

- June 9-10: 2nd Steering Committee Meeting.

Location: Bergen, Norway. This event coincided with the Kick-Off Workshop for Change Agents, which took place from the 9th-10th of June.

- June 9-12: What Works Climate Solutions Summit.

Location: Berlin Germany.

- June 6th: British Ecological Society Symposium.

Theme: Resilient Landscapes for People, Nature, and Climate. ocation: Birmingham, UK. A poster titled "Helping People to Transition for Nature & Climate" was presented by two ESUG members: Prof. Robert Kenward and Dr. Julie Ewald.

- May 30th: CEESP Webinars (2023–2024): Towards a More Inclusive Conservation Science.

Format: Online Webinar. Organiser: International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

- May 28-29: THALASSA 2024 – Marine Sciences Conference.

Location: Larnaca, Cyprus. This conference explores and addresses challenges faced by marine and coastal environments while proposing innovative solutions to tackle these issues.

- May 26: Paper Presentation for IX International Sandy Beaches Symposium.

Location: Lecce, Italy. Presentation of a paper titled "Societal Influences on Coastal Ecosystem Biodiversity Loss: A Multi-level Analytical Approach" authored by ULEI team members Alexander Yendell, Yvonne Jaeckel, Pauline Rosteius, Giulia Bär, and Helene Lerch.

- May 21: SCORE Webinar Series. Online.

May 15–18: 6th Euro-Mediterranean Conference for Environmental Integration.

Location: Marrakesh, Morocco.

- April 27: European Geoscience Union Annual Meeting.

Location: Vienna, Austria. Poster presentation on the importance of Pro-Coast translation work by ESUG member: Julian Mühle. Poster title: Does Everyone Speak English?

April 23: Launch of the First PRO-Coast Video.

April 16: BioAgora - Connecting Biodiversity Knowledge and Decision-making.

Online information event tailored for EU-funded projects enhancing biodiversity knowledge and policy. This event focused on the science-policy interface and the EU’s Knowledge Centre for Biodiversity. Attended by ESUG members: Robert Kenward, Ben Kenward, and Julie Ewald.

April 14-19: European Geoscience Union Assembly 2024.

Location: Vienna, Austria & Online. Organiser: European Geosciences Union (EGU).

April 3-6: European Citizen Science Association (ECSA) Conference.

Location: Vienna, Austria. Organisers: ECSA, BOKU, NHMW. Two Pro-Coast members attended and presented a slide describing the project.

- March 14: CEESP Webinars (2023–2024): Sharing Power and Capacity for More Inclusive Conservation Governance.

Format: Online Webinar. Organiser: International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

- March 11-13: 11th Annual World Ocean Summit.

Location: Lisbon, Portugal. Organiser: Economist Impact. Details: The summit brings together global leaders to discuss innovative solutions and strategies for sustainable ocean management.

6 February 29: CEESP Webinars (2023–2024): Incorporating Human Wellbeing for More Equitable Conservation.

Format: Online Webinar. Organiser: International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)

February 26: Kazakhstan Conference Presentation.

Presentation of the paper "Conservation at a Crossroads" at the Kazakhstan Conference, in honor of ESUG member Prof. Dr. Tatyana Bragina. Partners involved: Robert Kenward.

February 15: CEESP Webinars (2023–2024): Advancing Gender Transformative Approaches to Conservation.

Format: Online Webinar. Organiser: International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

February 8th: European Citizen Science Association Publication.

Inclusion of a news item in the European Citizen Science Association (ECSA) newsletter.

February 5–6: CCTI 2024: 18th International Conference on Climate Change: Threats and Impacts.

Location: Lisbon, Portugal. Click on the link below for more information.

January 15–16: 18th International Conference on Coastal Risk and Climate Change.

Location: Amsterdam, Netherlands.

January 14-15: International Conference on Ecosystems and Biodiversity (ICEB).

Location: Zurich, Switzerland.