Program > Special sessions - open to submissions

Special sessions open to submission

SS2 - Supporting NRR implementation through restoration knowledge hubs: Governance, monitoring and practice (open to submission + invited contributors)

Coordinator(s): Vito Emanuele Cambria (Botanic Garden of Rome, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy), Katalin Török (HUN-REN Centre for Ecological Research, Institute of Ecology and Botany, Vácrátót, Hungary), Tuula Larmola (Natural Resources Institute Finland, Luke), Helsinki). + Philip Corrigan

This session  will explore key obstacles and strategic recommendations for translating the EU Nature Restoration Regulation  into ambitious, credible, well-funded and socially legitimate National Restoration Plans (NRPs). Bringing together researchers, practitioners, and public authorities, the session will address implementation challenges such as governance bottlenecks, delivery capacity, monitoring and adaptive management, social trade-offs, risk management, and financing. It also aims to link research needs with practical implementation and promote cross-border learning and collaboration.

SS3 - Towards coherent and effective national restoration plans in the European Union (open to submission + invited contributors)

Coordinator(s): Aurélien Carré (PatriNat, MNHN, OFB, CNRS, IRD).

AThis session will review progress on National Restoration Plans (NRPs) under the EU Nature Restoration Regulation, focusing on terrestrial habitat mapping, assessment of habitat condition and restoration priorities for 2030. As EU Member-States will have to submit the 1st draft of their National Restoration Plans to the EU Commission on September 1st 2026, this special session will be a great opportunity to share the ambition for the restoration of Annex I habitats (Habitat directive, target of NRR Article 4), as well as the planed strategies for filling the knowledge gaps about their condition by 2030.

SS4 - National Hubs and Networks for Ecological Restoration (open to submission)

Coordinator(s): Morgan Eleanor Harris (University of Roma Tre), Vito Emanuele Cambria (Sapienza University of Rome), Eleonora Ciscato (Rete Italiana Ripristino Ecologico).

This session examines the emergence of national ecological restoration hubs and networks in Europe, which connect researchers, practitioners, and stakeholders to support restoration. It will explore their different structures, roles, and legal forms, the challenges they face, and their involvement in developing National Restoration Plans (NRPs). The session aims to share good practices, highlight lessons learned, and strengthen collaboration among these networks.

SS6 - Integrating best practice guidelines, community engagement and digital tools for measuring restoration outcomes in mangrove restoration (open to submission)

Coordinator(s): Nessrine Alzahlawi, Benjamin Christ, Dominic Wodehouse

This special session, organised by Global Mangrove Alliance members including the Abu Dhabi Mangrove Initiative, Wetlands International and Mangrove Action Project, focuses on mangrove restoration best practices with a special emphasis on monitoring restoration outcomes. The session will present and discuss the tools available for monitoring mangrove restoration programs, with examples and case studies from different regional contexts. Participants will engage in interactive group discussions and analyse restoration case studies, drawing on their own experiences in developing and selecting indicators for monitoring restoration progress.

SS10 - Analyzing the socio-economic impacts of deep-sea marine ecosystem restoration (open to submission)

Coordinator(s): Stephen Hynes (University of Galway), Silvia Gallegati (Università Politecnica delle Marche)

This session examines how ecological recovery efforts in deep-sea environments impact societal welfare and how these impacts can be assessed. Speakers will present the results of several valuation exercises that estimate the publics willingness to pay for national restoration programmes aimed at restoring cold water coral environments. A new cost-benefit analysis tool designed specifically for deep-sea restoration project appraisal will be showcased and a related marine ecosystem restoration cost assessment framework will also be discussed. This session will also explore baseline societal awareness, attitudes and support for marine restoration.

SS11 - Assisted Natural Regeneration across ecosystems: global applications, project design, and measurable outcomes (open to submission)

Coordinator(s): Olivia Gumbel (NatureRe Capital).

This session will group case studies from ANR practitioners to showcase the global applications of Assisted Natural Regeneration across ecosystems, with a focus on project construction, governance, financing, and measurable ecological results. By comparing ANR implementation across different models, socio-economic contexts and ecosystems, this session aims to demonstrate the versatility of ANR, identify common success factors and challenges, support knowledge exchange on how to scale restoration globally while maintaining ecological integrity.

SS12 - Rewilding across gradients: choosing pathways and measuring success in a changing world (open to submission)

Coordinator(s): Vona Meleder (Nantes Université & Institut Universitaire de France), Arndt Hampe (INRAE, France), Giorgio Alberti (University of Udine, Italy).

Rewilding is becoming an important strategy for restoring seasacape and landscape biodiversity and improving climate resilience in Europe. Rather than a single method, it includes a range of approaches that vary depending on ecological, climatic, and socio-economic contexts, from passive natural recovery to actively managed restoration across terrestrial, coastal, and marine ecosystems. This session will examine three key questions: where rewilding is most effective across landscapes and seascapes, how to decide between intervention and allowing natural processes (or combining both), and how to evaluate success beyond biodiversity by including ecosystem functions, climate benefits, and social outcomes. By bringing together researchers, practitioners, and policymakers, the session aims to promote cross-sector dialogue and develop frameworks that support Europe’s Nature Restoration agenda while encouraging contributions from diverse ecosystems, methods, and governance contexts.

SS14 - Connectivity in large-scale restoration (open to submission)

Coordinator(s): Taylor Shaw, Nancy Ockendon.

This session brings together practical experience and research on connectivity in large-scale ecosystem restoration. It will showcase examples of how functional and structural connectivity have been assessed prior to restoration, how these assessments have informed restoration design, and how restoration actions aimed at enhancing species or habitat connectivity have been monitored and evaluated post-restoration. The focus is on practical approaches to integrating and measuring connectivity in restoration projects, with contributions from practitioners sharing challenges faced, lessons learned or barriers overcome.

SS15 - From spatial modelling to large-scale strategies (open to submission)

Coordinator(s): Csaba Tölgyesi (Applied Ecology Research Group, University of Szeged, Hungary).

Large-scale restoration efforts have often focused on forests because nature is commonly associated with tree cover and because trees are visibly linked to carbon sequestration. This has led to the neglect of other important ecosystems such as grasslands and wetlands, and in some cases to inappropriate tree planting with limited climate benefits. As the role of open ecosystems in carbon storage becomes better recognized, restoration goals are becoming more inclusive. This session will explore new insights from restoration modelling to help guide decisions on where and how to restore ecosystems, and how these choices affect climate, biodiversity, human well-being, and policy strategies.
 

SS16 - Restoration of river connectivity: from theory to practice (open to submission)

Coordinator(s): Andrea Mandarino (Department of Earth, Environment and Life Sciences, University of Genova, Genova, Italy; Italian Centre for River Restoration, Mestre, Italy), G. Marconi (State High School, Tortona, Italy), Maria Alp (RiverLY, INRAE, Lyon, France), Ivan Bernez (UMR DECOD, Institut Agro, Rennes, France).

This session aims to gather a broad range of contributions that focus on the ecological restoration of river connectivity. Specific topics of interest include (but are not limited to): restoration of longitudinal, lateral, vertical, and temporal connectivity of fluvial hydrosystems; free-flowing river assessment; approaches to support the design of river restoration measures; passive restoration; mitigation of the impact of hydrological alteration; hydromorphological monitoring; prediction of river evolutionary trajectories; assessment of restoration results; synergies between connectivity restoration and flood-risk mitigation strategies; societal issues associated with connectivity restoration.

SS17 - From small to great lakes restoration: an overview to promote links and collaborations (open to submission)

Coordinator(s): Marlène Rolan-Meynard (French Biodiversity Agency - OFB), Althaea Pangaud (French National Institute for Agriculture and Environment, INRAE)

Lake restoration receives much less attention than river restoration, with fewer initiatives, events, and collaborations dedicated to it. As a result, ongoing lake restoration efforts often lack visibility and international knowledge exchange. The proposed session aims to bring together lake restoration specialists within SER to share experiences, discuss various restoration measures (such as addressing shoreline artificialization, eutrophication, and water level fluctuations), and examine monitoring approaches for both natural and artificial freshwater lakes, including quarries, reservoirs, and irrigation ponds.

SS18 - Wetland restoration for climate mitigation, biodiversity recovery and ecosystem services (open to submission)

Coordinator(s): Liisa Ukonmaanaho (Luke), Tuula Larmola (Luke), Kaido Soosaar (Univ. Tartu), Ana Lillebø (University of Aveiro), Francisco Lopèz (Idener.ai).

This session focuses on the restoration of wetlands as a science-based response to climate change, biodiversity loss, and water degradation. It addresses peatlands, floodplains, freshwater, and coastal wetlands as interconnected socio-ecological systems where restoring hydrological connectivity and biogeochemical processes is essential for carbon sequestration, biodiversity recovery, water regulation, and ecosystem resilience. Contributions addressing carbon cycling and GHG emissions, microbes, biodiversity responses, hydrological restoration, water quality, modelling and governance are welcome.

SS19 - Assisted restoration of extractive sites across Europe: what works where? (open to submission)

Coordinator(s): Klara Řehounková & Miguel Ballesteros Jiménez (Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic)

This special session examines the effectiveness of assisted restoration in extractive sites and the transferability of different methods across diverse European contexts. We focus on active restoration and the conditions under which interventions, used along natural revegetation or alone, are necessary or more effective than relying on natural processes. Our goal is to distinguish broadly applicable solutions from those requiring region- or site-specific approaches.

SS21 - Using Nature-Based Solutions for restoring soils of urban, industrial, traffic, mining and military areas: Sweet dreams or promising tools? (open to submission)

Coordinator(s): Thierry Dutoit (CNRS-IMBE, France), Isabelle Laffont-Schwob (LPED-AMU-IRD, France), Grégory Mahy (Agrobiotech, Belgium).

In the context of climate change and ecological transition, restoring SUITMA soils (urban, industrial, traffic, mining, and military areas) raises the question of whether nature-based solutions can replace traditional civil engineering methods such as excavation, containment, or soil reconstruction, which consume non-renewable resources and produce significant emissions. Current knowledge suggests that ecological restoration alone cannot overcome the severe and often irreversible degradation of these ecosystems. Therefore, a hybrid approach combining civil engineering and ecological engineering is proposed, where initial heavy interventions support long-term ecological processes and accelerate the recovery of biodiversity and ecosystem functions.

SS22 - Two birds with one stone? – Combining energy transition with the restoration of biodiversity, ecosystem services and ecological functions (open to submission)

Coordinator(s): Sandra Dullau (Anhalt University of Applied Sciences, Germany), Armin Bischoff & Lucas Etienne (CESAB & IMBE, Avignon University, France)

Renewable energy infrastructures, especially solar and wind, are essential for achieving climate neutrality in Europe but can significantly impact landscapes and biodiversity. Ecological assessments have shown mixed effects, from negative to positive. With appropriate restoration strategies—particularly on already disturbed sites—these infrastructures could also support biodiversity. This session invites research on the ecological impacts of renewable energy, ways to reduce negative effects and enhance ecosystem benefits, and recommendations for design, management, and policy to better align renewable energy development with ecosystem restoration goals.