Pre-conference trainings​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

The pre-conference trainings will be held on Monday, 18 May 2026, at Karolinum in the Old Town of Prague. Karolinum, home to Charles University, is a historic building named after Emperor Charles IV and is a National Cultural Monument of Czechia.

Register here for the training. Please note that capacity is limited for training 1–3, and places are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.

Training sessions:

1. Accounting for Ecosystem Services: from a compiler to a user perspective

Organised by: Alessandra La Notte & Domenico Pisani

Duration: Full day ( 3 hours in the morning + 3 hours in the afternoon)

Maximum participants: 50

The compilation of ecosystem services accounts is based on two pillars: ecological foundations and accounting principles. The metric chosen to measure ecosystem services affects the accuracy and interpretation of accounting figures and trends over time. The objective of this training is to provide a comprehensive overview of the key characteristics of these pillars, thereby supporting compilers in choosing a metric and users in employing it.

During the morning session, a theoretical module introduces:

• The principles of natural capital accounting rules and mechanisms

• The ecological foundations of ecosystem services and their flows

• Concrete examples on the accounting of Ecosystem Services in physical and monetary terms

• Concrete examples of Ecosystem Services accounts uses

During the afternoon Session, the Ecosystem Services Accounting - Compatibility Assessment Tool (ESA–CAT) is run by participants through a hands-on practical exercise where:

• ESA-CAT is applied to real-world cases

• NCA results will be explored based on their suitability for different types of users and uses

• Implications will be discussed for finance, business, and policy contexts

Goals and objectives:

By the end of the training, participants will have a clear view of:

• the ecological and accounting principles underpinning Ecosystem Services assessment for accounting purposes;

• how to apply these insights for and beyond national accounting.

Note: Participants will need to bring their own laptops to run ESA-CAT.

2. One-Click Ecosystem Mapping: High-Resolution insights to monitor ecosystems and biodiversity

Organised by: Bruno Smets, Alessio Bulckaen, Marcel Buchhorn, Moudry Vitezslav

Duration: half a day

Maximum participants: 30

Mapping ecosystems at high resolution and with frequent observation over time is crucial for informing Natural Capital Accounting (NCA) and both ecosystem and biodiversity assessments, providing foundational spatial data for valuing ecosystem assets, their provision of services and their relationship with other ecosystems. World Ecosystem Extent Dynamics (WEED) is an open-source toolbox currently in testing, built on the ARIES AI-powered modelling platform and the openEO Earth observation big data infrastructure. It enables fully automated generation of ecosystem extent maps at up to 10m spatial resolution, anywhere in the world, and across time. Such capacities and flexibility allow for the study of complex dynamic systems, enabling the timely reporting of Ecosystem Extent at a global level.

This solution supports major ecosystem classification schemes, including the EU Ecosystem Extent / EUNIS typology and the global IUCN Global Ecosystem Typology (GET). By leveraging ARIES’ semantic-driven approach, it intelligently selects the most suitable datasets and models for a given region of interest. Operating in a federated environment and aligned with the Digital Twin concept, it makes global, high-quality ecosystem mapping available at the click of a button, providing an easier solution for countries and experts around the world to validate the results and use their feedback for further improving the estimates. This collaborative approach not only provides both parties with incentives to collaborate and improve the results, but also paves the path for a quicker and more effective adoption of the main environmental monitoring and reporting systems. This session will showcase the tool’s potential to transform ecosystem accounting and monitoring by making detailed, comparable, and up-to-date ecosystem maps accessible to all practitioners.

Goals and objectives:

Participants will be introduced to the various ecosystem extent typologies (i.e., EUNIS, IUCN GET, and more) that the system offers. Thereafter, they will be trained to use the tool and be able to perform tests for a given region of interest. They will be requested to provide structured feedback on the tool’s outputs, helping to refine classifications and results accuracy and enhance further iterations/improvements in the toolbox. The session includes:

• live demonstrations with different typologies.

• Allow participants to compare results for the same region across typologies (EUNIS vs. GET).

• Encourage discussion on applications in policy, restoration planning, or accounting.

The WEED impact is broader than mapping Ecosystem Extent, links to global agendas (e.g. SEEA EA implementation, GBF monitoring, EU Biodiversity strategy) and thus very relevant for government, agencies and NGOs for reporting and decision support at different scales.

What will participants take away? Thanks to the hands-on experience, participants learn how to produce and interpret high-resolution ecosystem maps for their chosen region

Note: If users want to use the app from their own laptop, these are the minimum characteristics of the machine:

64 bit and RAM=>8GB - https://docs.integratedmodelling.org/klab/get_started/index.html#_caveats_and_possible_stumbling_blocks

3. Training on enabling uptake of ecosystem service assessments

Organised by: David N. Barton, Sylvie Clappe, Inge Liekens, Davide Geneletti

Duration: Full day

Maximum participants: 30

Despite growing needs for policy-relevant information on ecosystems and their services, recent literature reviews show that the uptake of valuation of ecosystem service findings in decision-making remains limited (Barton et al., 2024, 2022; Walther et al., 2025; Laurans et al., 2013; Termansen et al., 2022). The session proposal is motivated by the IPBES Values Assessment regarding barriers to uptake (i) Decision-makers’ need ecosystem services knowledge to be better communicated to practitioners and (ii) Practitioners need to strengthen selected study design features of ecosystem service assessments. At the heart of the communication between decision-makers and practitioners is the Terms of Reference (ToR). This document states the expectations and boundaries of ecosystem service assessments when they are commissioned by decision-makers to practitioners (hereafter contractors). We think that a clear and comprehensive ToR will facilitate better communication between commissioners and contractors, resulting in ecosystem service assessments whose findings will be directly actionable in public and private decision-making.

We therefore propose a 1-day training session for potential commissioners of ecosystem service assessments in how to write Terms of Reference for contractors to produce fit-for-purpose assessments. The session will raise awareness round the key concepts of ecosystem service assessments, touching upon what should be included in a ToR and why. The training material will be designed for graduate students and early-career professionals pursuing careers in public planning and management, or private business, from the perspective of a commissioner. It will also be useful for students and early-career professionals pursuing careers as ecosystem service assessment practitioners. Training material will be developed using the EU SELINA Guidelines for enabling uptake in project and policy cycles (Clappe et al. 2025), including tools for writing ToR for ecosystem service assessment.

Main objective:

Provide training on specifying ecosystem service knowledge needs of decision-makers ‘upstream’ in the Terms of Reference writing phase of an ecosystem service assessment in order to increase uptake

Operational objectives:

1. Train graduate students and entry level professionals in public Planning & Management and Private Business planning careers in ecosystem service assessment

2. Develop and test training materials as part of the EU SELINA project

3. Evaluate the demand for future professional training in ecosystem service assessment tenders in the ESP community.

The online training material will cover three sections of an ecosystem service assessment Terms of Reference: Frame & Scope, Methodology, and Evaluation Criteria. The course includes supporting material developed to provide commissioners with basic to advanced understanding of the concepts underlying ecosystem service assessments.

Training agenda outline:

Morning 09:00-12:00

Introduction – state- of-play. Uptake of ecosystem service assessments for decision support in public and private sectors

• Overview of tender process and Terms of Reference guidance.

• Exercise: Frame & Scope

Afternoon 13:00-16:00

• Exercise: Methodology

• Exercise: Evaluation Criteria

• Group discussion - sharing experiences

• Participant Evaluation of training

4. The editor’s guide towards successful publishing

Organised by: Luis Inostroza – Special Issues Editor-in-Chief- Ecosystem Services

Duration: 2h30

Maximum participants: Minimum 10 (no maximum limit)

How to increase your chances of getting your manuscript published in an indexed high-impact journal? Writing a scientific article is complex and highly demanding. It can also be very frustrating and challenging to face and understand the rejection of a manuscript. There is an increasing demand for high-impact factor journals, while the scientific publication ecosystem is complex and can be overwhelming, especially at the beginning of an academic career. Nowadays, finding successful paths towards publishing research results in high-impact journals is fundamental. However, from the point of view of the epistemology of science, conducting scientific research and communicating its results (publication) are distinct activities in nature that do not necessarily share a common logic and objectives, and therefore require different approaches and specialised training

Goals and objectives of the workshop

The objective of this workshop is to discuss key publishing aspects from an editorial perspective, thereby improving understanding of the publishing system and helping to develop strategies for a successful publication process. The workshop will be concentrated around six golden points that make a finished manuscript strong enough to pass the editor’s scrutiny.

The workshop is conducted from the point of view of the editor, which is fundamentally different from that of the author of a manuscript.

Planned outputs

The workshop will discuss the six golden aspects that, from the point of view of the editor, will improve your possibilities to publish. The workshop is highly practical and concrete in terms of examples and recommendations that will help to understand and better manage a manuscript and thus successfully pass the peer review. The workshop will provide guidelines for good practices and effective recommendations, as well as highlighting common errors and misunderstandings in the publishing process to be avoided.

• The editorial process: getting along with the gatekeeper

• What’s the role of the editor?

• The editor’s understanding of a manuscript

• The cover letter, does it matter?

• Avoiding common mistakes

• Academic publishing: Actors and Roles

• Desk Rejection? - most common reasons

• The gold conditions to make an editor happy

• A strong manuscript – 6 golden points

• An easy-to-handle submission

• Handling Revisions. How to revise your manuscript

• Predatory publishers, what are they and what to do.

Target group

Everyone interested in improving understanding, knowledge and skills in scientific publication. Capacity (minimal and maximum) of the group

Requirements for attendees

Energy and enthusiasm.