The Scientific Program Committee is inviting abstracts for presentations to be held at the 11th World Conference on Ecological Restoration (SER2025).
This call is open for oral presentations, lightning talks and poster presentations. All presentations at SER2025 are expected to be in person in Denver. However, virtual poster presentations will be considered. All abstracts must be submitted online through the link provided below. Deadline for submission is 30 January 2025. Early submissions are highly encouraged, and reviews will be conducted on a rolling basis. Abstracts must be submitted through the submission portal.
As we near the midpoint of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, SER2025 is strategically positioned to translate global restoration commitments into actionable strategies. The conference brings together experts from scientific, practical, policy, governmental, financial, and socio-cultural sectors to share knowledge essential for advancing restoration initiatives. These efforts aim to sustain biodiversity, enhance resilience in a changing climate, and re-establish an ecologically healthy relationship between nature and culture.
SER2025 will contribute to advancing global restoration goals outlined in established standards, frameworks, and laws.The focus now shifts to implementation, ensuring projects are knowledge-based and socially inclusive, with the aim of restoring 30% of degraded ecosystems by 2030. SER2025 will equip participants with the resources, tools, and knowledge to turn global commitments into tangible ecological and societal benefits.
Submissions related to one of the eight thematic series of the conference are invited. We encourage submissions from all ecosystems, and we especially encourage practitioners to share their work. The eight thematic series are:
1. Improving restoration outcomes through collaboration
The success of ecological restoration projects is likely to increase when diverse stakeholder groups are not only informed but also involved in the various elements of the restoration projects. This theme focuses on how to explicitly foster connections between researchers, private sector, restoration practitioners, and other stakeholders to achieve better restoration outcomes.
Subthemes:
- Innovative approaches to multi-stakeholder collaboration
- Stakeholder mapping
- Participatory approaches to stakeholder engagement
- Stakeholder considerations across the full restoration process (from pre-planning through to post-restoration monitoring and maintenance)
2. Intergenerational partnerships for building restoration action on the ground
Building intergenerational partnerships in restoration is an opportunity to exchange concepts and approaches created by communities spanning generations and to create space for innovation while learning from experience. This theme will bring together different perspectives to support the next generation of leaders, especially youth, women with the wider society.
Subthemes
- Youth Action
- Gender / Women
- Innovations in restoration
3. Recognizing your roots, looking forward for the future
The wisdom and knowledge of Indigenous Peoples has seen a tremendous resurgence over the past few decades. While it is recognized and discussed, it is still not widely incorporated into restoration and conservation. The theme of “Recognizing your Roots” invites proposals highlighting diverse traditional and indigenous knowledge systems, practices, and approaches to restoration and healing of degraded lands, water, and communities.
Subthemes
- Indigenous people and local communities
4. Raising the bar on restoration success: Improving quality of actions rather than quantity
This theme focuses on improving the quality and scalability of restoration projects and associated ecological restoration initiatives. It invites proposals, for example, on the application of interdisciplinary knowledge systems, the use of cutting-edge scientific and technological tools, including AI, to facilitate restoration, the role of restoration in addressing the climate and biodiversity crises, and the establishment of appropriate and efficient monitoring systems.
Subthemes
- Ecosystem, economic and social resilience
- Disaster risk reduction and climate mitigation
- Knowledge and innovation
- Implementation, effectiveness, and effects monitoring
- Restoration as a nature-based solution
5. Restoration in my backyard – urban context
Urban ecosystems, frequently and extensively degraded, represent an enormous opportunity for local, meaningful restoration that will benefit both nature and people. Restoration and rehabilitation in urban areas, which are frequently and extensively degraded, can support countries to develop resilient and sustainable cities by addressing heat islands, flooding, social cohesion, and other urban issues. This theme focuses on expanding green infrastructure as a nature-based solution for urban ecological degradation, establishing healthy and productive green spaces, and bridging the supply/demand -gap of urban green spaces as a tool for reducing social disparities.
Subthemes
- Reduce environmental impact within the city
- Restoration as a green infrastructure tool
- Restoring for inclusive sustainable urbanization
- Access to green urban spaces
6. From Commitment to action on global targets
In light of the triple planetary catastrophe, the world needs to fulfill its promise to restore more land and ocean by 2030 to achieve net gain for people and nature. This theme will take stock of ecosystem and ecological restoration activities being implemented under a variety of global agreements and initiatives (e.g. the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), the Bonn Challenge, Kelp Forest Alliance, and more). Given the numerous goals and targets set for 2030, this theme also offers an opportunity for stocktaking, especially at the midpoint for both the UN Decade and the GBF.
Subthemes
- Mid term evaluation
- Fixing It Forward: Learning from our mistakes and challenges
- Enabling frameworks to proactively incentivize restoration
- Increasing expectations and action around the world
7. Restoration and One Health
Ecosystem health and integrity directly impact human well-being in many ways, making restoration highly desirable. This theme explores the concept of “One Health”, and the tight relationship between human health, animal health, and the environment. What role can restoration play in advancing One Health, and what are the challenges and achievements associated with both restoration and One Health.
Subthemes
- The role of restoration as a tool for achieving One Health
- Restoration for improving both physical and mental health
- Healthy ecosystems for healthy minds
- Restoration as a tool for reducing the spread and incidence of zoonotic diseases
- Restoration as a tool for disaster risk reduction
- Building back better
- One Health as an opportunity to create intragovernmental/integrated approaches to restoration
8. Mobilizing Restoration through Art and Culture
One of the most valuable resources of any community is its arts and culture. Engaging in audio, visual or performing arts can capture, define, or enhance sentiments of people about the natural world. The arts can activate more of our senses, creating a visceral connection or reconnection with nature. We welcome proposals focusing on the role of art and culture in promoting and monitoring restoration as well as improving the outcomes.
Subthemes
- Visual arts and restoration
- Spoken/written word art and restoration
- Restoring social and bio-cultural heritage (ecocultural community restoration)
- Using acoustics as a monitoring tool
- Arts as a tool for building public awareness and support for restoration
Please carefully review the information below to aid your planning. You can direct any questions to ser2025program[at]venuewest.com.
Overview
Abstract submissions will be limited to two submissions per person. No more than one oral or lightning talk submission and one poster submission. When you submit your abstract, you will have the option to select your first choice for oral (regular or lightning talk) or poster presentation. The program committee will make the final decision on whether a presentation will be oral or must be converted to a poster presentation. Poster presentations at SER2025 will be considered to be equal to an oral presentation and not considered as a lesser option to oral presentation.
Oral presentations: Speakers will each have 15 minutes total for their presentations (10-12 minutes for their talk and 3-5 minutes for questions).
Lightning talks: These talks are both time and slide limited (e.g. 5 minutes; no more than 7 slides). Speakers will not be allowed to exceed their allotted time. Several lightning talks will be presented in succession, and then there will be a general question and answer period at the end. SER will try to group common themes together for lightning talk sessions.
Posters presentations: Posters focus on a wide range of ecological restoration topics. There will be one or two poster sessions during the conference and poster authors will be expected to be available to discuss and answer questions about their research during the poster session. Poster presentations at SER2025 will be considered to be equal to an oral presentation and not considered as a lesser option to oral presentation.
Abstract Submission Guidelines
All abstracts must be submitted through the online submission form no later than 30 January 2025. Early submissions are highly encouraged, and reviews will be conducted on a rolling basis.
Abstracts must be submitted in English.
Abstract Format
All of the following information must be provided on the submission form.
- Title of the presentation (25 words max.)
- Thematic series that best encompasses the presentation
- Abstract – a brief summary of the main points of the presentation and relevance to restoration science, practice, or policy (250 words max.)
- One sentence summary of the abstract (50 words maximum)
- Presenter (name, company, organization or institutional affiliation, email address)
Evaluation Process and Criteria
All submitted abstracts will be peer-reviewed by members of the Program Committee. Abstracts will be reviewed on a rolling basis (i.e., reviews will be ongoing throughout the submission period), and acceptance notices will be sent early when possible. All abstracts will be evaluated based on the following criteria:
- Scientific merit, with emphasis on new research results, cutting-edge developments, novel perspectives, and innovative or interdisciplinary approaches
- Clear relevance to one of the eight thematic series of the conference
- Broad applicability for restoration professionals working in a variety of contexts, ecosystems, or geographical locations
- Submission of a complete and compelling abstract
Important Dates and Deadlines
4 December 2024 – Abstract submission period opens
13 December 2024 – Notification of acceptance or rejection of proposals Sent
15 January 2025 – Early registration opens
30 January 2025 – Deadline for abstract submissions
14 February 2025 – Applications for the SER2025 Open Doors Awards Program due
15 March 2025 – Notification of Acceptance or Rejection of Abstracts Sent
15 April 2025 – Deadline for Early Bird registration
15 April 2025 – Deadline for presenter registration
30 September to 4 October 2025 – The 11th World Conference on Ecological Restoration in Denver, United States
Cancellation Policy
Please do not submit a proposal unless you are confident that you will be able to fulfill your obligation to organize and deliver the activity proposed. Once a symposium, workshop or training course has been accepted, scheduled and announced, cancellations are disruptive and potentially preclude other delegates from participating in the conference program. SER wants as much involvement as possible from our global community and we sincerely appreciate your thoughtfulness before submitting your proposal and again before considering a potential cancellation.