Call for session proposals​​​​​​

Thank you for your interest in hosting a session during the 6th ESP Europe Conference, which will take place in Prague, Czechia, from 18–23 May 2026.

We kindly invite you to submit your session proposal through the official ESP Europe Session Proposals Form. The deadline for submissions is 30 September 2025.

The conference theme is “Advancing ecosystem services knowledge for achieving a nature- and people-positive Europe.” We aim to place special focus, though not exclusively, on the following key challenges:

1. Navigating governance of ecosystem services in a changing political landscapes

Explore how evolving political conditions influence the governance of ecosystem services, and how evidence-based policies, policy evaluation, and new and existing frameworks can better support inclusive, cross-sectoral, and multi-level collaborations.

• Impacts of political changes on ecosystem services, including policy and governance.

• Aligning ecosystem services with evolving EU and national policy frameworks, such as nature restoration.

• Strengthening participation, multi-level governance and cross-sectoral collaboration to harness the power of ecosystem services concept.

2. Ecosystem services knowledge for a people- and nature-positive future

Highlight advances in interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary research, tools, and methodologies to better understand, assess, model, and communicate the diverse values and roles of ecosystem services in achieving integrated sustainability goals.

• Advancing transdisciplinary ecosystem services and values- and nexus-oriented research to support sustainable decision-making.

• Integrating diverse values, including intrinsic, relational and instrumental in nature’s contributions to people and ecosystem services assessments.

• Developing knowledge tools for monitoring, modeling, and policy evaluation, including the implementation of nature restoration objectives.

3. Climate and natural solutions for ecosystem restoration and resilience

Focus on the design and implementation of ecosystem-based approaches to climate change mitigation and adaptation, enhancing both urban and rural resilience while contributing to biodiversity conservation, nature restoration and human well-being.

• Enhancing urban and rural resilience through ecosystem-based adaptation and disaster risk reduction.

• Implementing nature-based solutions for climate mitigation, adaptation and biodiversity conservation.

• Restoring nature with enhanced ecosystem services outcomes.

4. Equity, justice, and inclusivity in ecosystem services

Investigate how ecosystem services and nature´s contributions to people frameworks can contribute to environmental justice, ensure fair access to benefits, and empower marginalized and underrepresented communities through inclusive governance and participatory processes.

• Ensuring just access to nature and ecosystem benefits.

• Co-producing knowledge with diverse communities and stakeholders.

• Strengthening environmental justice in ecosystem services governance.

5. Economics of ecosystem services

Explore the role of economic models, inclusive well-being, and diverse valuation methods in guiding ecosystem services research and practice. This stream will critically examine the use of economic valuation, discuss the potential of alternative concepts such as degrowth, and promote economy-based approaches that balance human needs with ecological sustainability.

• Exploring diverse and pluralistic valuation methods for ecosystem services.

• Addressing the role of traditional (green growth) but also alternative economic paradigms, including degrowth, in ecosystem services governance.

• Investigating innovative financing approaches that support nature-positive and socially equitable transitions.

6. Ecosystem accounting, interregional flows, and Europe’s global impact

Explore how ecosystem accounting, trade-related flows, and environmental footprints can inform more responsible policy-making, reveal Europe's broader environmental impacts, and support coherent decision-making across sectors, regions, and global scales, while identifying and managing the risks associated with ecological degradation.

• Integrating natural capital accounting into governance and policy frameworks.

• Assessing interregional flows of ecosystem services within Europe and beyond.

• Evaluating the environmental and socio-economic impacts of EU policies and consumption abroad

We encourage anyone working in the field of ecosystem services and sustainability to submit proposals for sessions. We welcome alternative session formats such as discussion forums, world cafes, Fishbowls, and sessions in which media outputs are presented. Feel free to think out of the box and be creative by proposing alternative session formats.

The 6th ESP Europe conference will be an in-person conference to provide an enriching experience that allows attendees to fully immerse themselves in the conference, interact with speakers and engage with other participants in real-time.

Procedure for submitting session proposals

• Session proposals should reflect the conference theme. If possible, focus on the following thematic streams: 1) Navigating governance of ecosystem services in a changing political landscapes, 2) Ecosystem services knowledge for a people- and nature-positive future, 3) Climate and natural solutions for ecosystem restoration and resilience, 4) Equity, justice, and inclusivity in ecosystem services, 5)Economics of ecosystem services and 6) Ecosystem accounting, interregional flows, and Europe’s global impact.

• Session title: A brief and descriptive explanation of your session.

• Session abstract: A short description of your session, including a summary of the topic, the desired aims and outcomes of your session.

• Session format: The estimated duration and format you plan to follow for your session. You may refer to the guidance on the options for alternative session formats.

• Co-hosts and others involved: Up to seven possible co-hosts who are committed to assisting you with reviewing the abstracts submitted to your session and engaging in other responsibilities to make your session and the conference a success.

Alternative session formats

We can help you explore alternative session formats and help you shape your proposal. Here are some options to consider:

• World Café: This format allows for open group discussion around a specific topic. The session is usually guided by a list of core questions or topics and facilitated by the session hosts. Participants are invited to join and contribute to a shared discussion.

• Documentaries and other media: Hosts and participants may want to present alternative means of science communication and share experiences among participants.

• Solution rooms: These sessions are designed to give participants space to discuss challenges they are facing around a specific topic.

• Speed talk/lightning sessions: These sessions are designed to be fast-paced, with participants given a short time (around 5 minutes) to talk about their research topics. Ideally, these sessions should be followed by a discussion.

• Scientific debates: These sessions allow people to debate over a specific question or topic. Participants are then polled to measure their opinions on the topic, followed by group discussions.

• Storytelling sessions: Presenters are called to present their research topics in the form of a story that helps illustrate their work. This format is more suitable for cases in which the experiences of individuals, teams, or community groups are told like a traditional story. The stories should have characters, themes, and an ending point.

• Fishbowls: This format involves dividing a big team into smaller groups and arranging them in a circle. The people in the smaller group have an open discussion while the other session participants (who sit outside the “fishbowl”) listen to what is being discussed. This format is interactive, as anyone outside the fishbowl can contribute their ideas by replacing someone in the fishbowl. This way, this format promotes real-time brainstorming and innovative thought processes.

• Scientific games: This format could be suitable for participants and sessions that want to test software or applications they have been developing. There is usually an introduction to the rules of the game, time for playing, and a feedback session towards the end.

Responsibility of a session host

Once your session proposal is accepted, you will become a session host. As a session host, you will be asked to review abstracts submitted to your session, moderate your session during the conference and take on some other responsibilities involved with organising a session. The Scientific Program Committee will review your session proposal. If your session is reviewed positively, we will send you session host guidelines soon after. If you are looking for others to submit a session with, we advise you to make use of the ESP online member platform and call for other interested delegates.