On 22 May, the International Day for Biological Diversity, the Biodiversity Futures Laboratory, through its section at the Biodiversity Chair at the University of Évora, will organise the final Portuguese seminar of the European project NaturaConnect, under the theme Portugal’s contribution to a trans-European conservation network for nature and people.
The event will take place at the Palácio de D. Manuel, in Évora, from 14:00 to 18:30, with the support of the Municipality of Évora. It will bring together researchers, public authorities, land managers, civil society organisations and private-sector representatives to discuss how Portugal can contribute to the implementation of the European Biodiversity Strategy, particularly through ecological connectivity, protected-area expansion and nature restoration.
The opening session will include the Mayor of Évora, Carlos Zorrinho, and the seminar will be closed by the Minister for Environment and Energy, Maria da Graça Carvalho.
The first part of the programme will present results from NaturaConnect, including methods for identifying and prioritising ecological corridors and expanding protected areas across Europe, with a specific focus on Portugal. Contributions will address the challenges of professional capacity-building, the goal of achieving 10% strict protection, and opportunities for financing biodiversity. Speakers include Miguel Bastos Araújo from the Biodiversity Futures Lab at the University of Évora and the MNCN-CSIC, Henrique Miguel Pereira from the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research and Biopolis/INBIO, Daniel Veríssimo from Rewilding Europe, and Bárbara Pais from the Portuguese NaturaConnect team.
A roundtable discussion will then explore practical pathways for biodiversity conservation and nature restoration in Portugal, bringing together representatives from public administration, spatial planning, agriculture, private conservation and environmental organisations.
Participation is free, but registration is required due to limited capacity in the main hall. Registration is available here:
https://tally.so/r/7R96la
About NaturaConnect
Funded by the European Union’s Horizon programme, NaturaConnect brings together 22 international partners to support the design of a coherent trans-European nature conservation network. Portugal is one of the project’s case-study areas, alongside regions including the Danube–Carpathian border area, France, Finland, Leipzig-Halle in Germany, and Doñana in Spain.
In Portugal, the project is led by the University of Évora, with support from CIBIO, and has promoted interinstitutional dialogue, knowledge exchange and capacity-building activities for professionals working in land-use planning, biodiversity conservation and protected-area management.
More information: https://naturaconnect.eu/