Under the theme of ‘Leading Transformation Together’, the fourth edition of the World Biodiversity Forum will take place from 14-19 June 2026 in Davos, Switzerland.

We at the MRI are calling on our fellow mountain researchers to consider submitting an abstract to our following session:

CON14: Social Innovation and Collective Action in Socio-Ecological Systems for Transformative Change in Biodiversity Futures in Mountain Regions
Conveners: Mariana Melnykovych (MRI Science Leadership Council Member)
Co-conveners: Carolina Adler (MRI Executive Director); Ignacio Palomo (MRI Science Leadership Council Member); Adrienne Grêt-Regamey (MRI Principal Investigator).

The Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework set a clear mission: halt and reverse biodiversity loss to put nature on a path to recovery. Achieving this requires more than ecological knowledge; it calls for transformative change and for futures where biodiversity is enhanced, not only conserved (IPBES 2019). Agriculture and forestry, as major drivers of biodiversity loss, present both urgent challenges and opportunities to combine mitigation of impacts with proactive conservation and restoration. This session examines how social innovation, participatory governance, and collective action can foster biodiversity recovery in agri-forest and mountain socio-ecological systems. It highlights how communities, researchers, policymakers, businesses, and civil society collaborate to design and implement transformative pathways. Living Labs, long-term socio-ecological research sites, and commons-based institutions are emphasized as arenas for co-production and experimentation, where knowledge exchange and inclusive participation strengthen resilience, equity, and trust. Special attention is given to improving communication, empowering communities, and enhancing the role of biodiversity science in policy and practice. We welcome contributions that: Explore governance innovations for biodiversity recovery; Present empirical cases of collective action in agriculture, forestry, and mountain landscapes; Analyse Living Lab approaches as infrastructures for transformative change; Reflect on cross-generational collaboration and integration of local, Indigenous, and scientific knowledge; Discuss scaling pathways and transfer of lessons, including in postcrisis contexts.

The deadline for abstract submissions is on Tuesday, 18 November 2025, 13.00 CET.

Photo by Ile Gorgievski on Unsplash.