We expect that 2026 will be no less turbulent than the last year. The landscape for ecological practice is shifting rapidly, with clear contradictions from politicians and policymakers on the importance of nature recovery and the desire to weaken environmental protections. Within the frameworks set by governments, ethical and skilled ecologists and environmental managers throughout the UK and Ireland continue to work with clients and stakeholders to achieve the best possible outcomes for nature and people.
This conference will shine a spotlight on the work of passionate practitioners who understand how to deliver the real win-wins, and who can demonstrate, through practical examples, how high-quality ecology adds value to projects, places and communities.
Alongside celebrating what already works, we also want to look beyond the current policy turmoil and create space for forward-thinking, creative, and practical ideas that can inform the next chapter of nature-positive planning. By bringing together ecologists, planners, developers, land managers, policy specialists and decision-makers, we aim to share concrete lessons, robust evidence, and best-practice approaches that others can take away and apply in their own work.
We welcome presentations that:
- Proactively promote successful Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) projects and other scalable, replicable approaches
- Offer evidence-based reflections on what works and what must evolve
- Reimagine the future role of nature in development, grounded in practical experience
- Demonstrate the value of nature to people and communities
Themes:
- Development integration: Examples where biodiversity shaped project design from the outset; radical or experimental approaches to embedding ecological thinking in planning and development, with clear lessons for practitioners.
- Area-based strategic approaches: Demonstrations of how BNG and restoration projects integrate with broader landscape and nature recovery goals, including Local Nature Recovery Strategies, catchment-based, rural-urban and cross-boundary collaborations, highlighting transferable methods and outcomes.
- Reimagining ecology in a changing policy landscape: Evidence-based reflections on what’s gone well and what needs to evolve. Analysing government changes and planning for their impact on our profession, with a focus on how practitioners can respond effectively.
- Communicating the value of nature and our profession: Examples of successful communication, stakeholder, policy and media engagement, improving awareness of the contribution of ecologists and environmental managers.
We’re mixing things up a bit for 2026. In addition to time reserved for invited keynote speakers, the conference includes three to five sessions, each between 40 to 75 minutes long. You are welcome to either offer an individual talk or to propose and curate a session with CIEEM support.
Proposals for individual presentations will be evaluated based on the following two criteria…
- Relevance to the six conference themes: Please use the form to indicate the primary and secondary themes to which your talk / session relates
- Practical applications: How are the key take-home messages from your talk / session relevant to the audience? What might they do differently after attending?
…with session proposals evaluated against an additional two criteria:
- Co-design and collaboration: A good range of presenters / stakeholders involved and represented e.g. consultants, clients, local government, statutory bodies, charities and environmental NGOs
- Engaging and accessible structure: How will you keep the audience engaged and how will you plan for questions and answers? Creativity is encouraged, and you will have access and support to use CIEEM’s Mentimeter if you wish to.
Please use the session proposal and abstract submission form to tell us how you would like to get your messages across and if you have any questions please email training@cieem.net
Submit a proposal here:
Championing Nature-Positive Development - Fill out Form
Help shape the future of biodiversity in the planning system by sharing your experience, your evidence, and your vision for what should come next, and contribute to a practical, practitioner-led conversation about what high quality ecological work can achieve.
Bookings are open for this event. So if you would like to book early please click on the login to Book button below.
