Ecologies of a Changing Planet

About the Conference

Ecologies of a Changing Planet is a fully virtual, global event designed to foster meaningful interaction, collaboration, and exchange across regions, disciplines, and perspectives. This initiative is developed in response to strong community interest within the Ecological Society of America (ESA) and partner communities for more globally connected forms of academic engagement. At a time of rapid environmental transformation, ecological knowledge is increasingly produced across fragmented contexts, scales, and worldviews. This conference seeks to bridge these divides by creating a space for dialogue across geographic, disciplinary, and socioecological boundaries, in alignment with ESA’s mission to advance the science and practice of ecology and support a diverse and inclusive scientific community.

In collaboration with:

• Associação Brasileira de Ciência Ecológica e Conservação (Brazil)
• Sociedad de Ecología de Chile (Chile)
• University of Helsinki (Finland)
• University of Port Harcourt (Nigeria)
• European Ecological Federation (Spain)
• Centre de Recerca Ecològica i Aplicacions Forestals (Spain)
• University of Bergen (Norway)

Conference Subthemes

The conference committee has identified five (5) general subthemes that serve as organizing pillars for the  conference program. Thematic sessions bring together a set of related contributions around a shared question or topic, typically combining brief presentations with extended, facilitated discussion that synthesizes ideas across speakers. 

We are especially looking for proposals that explore ecological themes across globally connected ecosystems (e.g., oceans) and/or integrate data or perspectives from multiple continents/regions/or biomes.  Scientists studying all ecosystems and biomes are welcome, including wetlands and marinescapes.

List of Subthemes

• Ecological Theory and Discovery 
• Applied Ecology and Environmental Solutions 
• Human Dimensions, Governance, and Science Policy
• Innovation, Data Science, and Emergent Technologies
• Education, Mentoring, and Building the Next Generation

Conference Dates and Times

DATES: February 23-25, 2027 

TIME: 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM Eastern or Washington DC time zone 

All scheduled sessions are live and in real time. All sessions will include asynchronous participation options to enable global participation and access.

Conference Structure 

All scheduled sessions will be live and in real time.
To address broad, cross-cutting themes we will offer a limited number of:

• Plenaries and Keynotes: These sessions will prioritize a diversity of perspectives and regions, typically taking the form of moderated discussions rather than single-speaker lectures

We also aim to create an environment where ecologists from around the world can not only share insights, but also learn from diverse contexts and build new collaborations to address global environmental challenges through:

• Research sessions: Individual talks and posters organized into sessions addressing a topic and subtheme, optimized for sharing scientific research across continents and time zones 
• Collaborative sessions: Workshops, Thinking or Action pods, and Roundtable Sessions aimed at participant engagement that builds new skills, generates ongoing connections or outputs beyond the conference. 

Session formats

Research Sessions may pull together Individual talks and Individual posters into organized sessions around a specific topic (e.g. socioecological approaches to ecosystem management) 

• Individual Talks (See Individual Contributions)

These are more traditional talks to communicate key ideas, findings, or perspectives, typically as a flash talk of five to eight minutes. Talks are grouped into thematic sessions followed by moderated discussion.

• Individual Posters

Instead of traditional poster sessions, we propose interactive “poster rooms” where each presenter hosts their own breakout space and participants can move freely between rooms for direct discussion. This format prioritizes conversation and engagement, potentially supported by facilitated browsing and community voting or awards to encourage participation. These sessions are intended to replicate and improve upon the most interactive aspects of in-person poster sessions by prioritizing conversation over display. Posters will be uploaded and  ahead of the conference to actively engage with attendees. 

Collaborative sessions include three formats:

• Thinking or Action Pods involve more intensive engagement where participants actively work together to develop ideas, analyze problems, or initiate collaborations, often with a tangible outcome or next step.
• Roundtable discussions are structured conversations led by organizers who introduce contrasting perspectives, followed by active participation from attendees, with an emphasis on dialogue rather than presentation.
• Skill-oriented workshops focus on practical learning and capacity building, providing participants with hands-on guidance in methods, tools, or professional development topics, with opportunities for interaction, questions, and applied exercises.

Contribution types

We invite contributors to participate either as leaders of organized sessions or as individual presenters. To facilitate conference coherence, all contributors will be asked to identify the primary subtheme addressed by the session. We still welcome proposals that fall outside of the subthemes outlined and may create new subthemes if we receive a significant pool of related proposals. 

For individual presentations, the primary format is the flash talk. Flash talks are concise presentations of five-eight  minutes (depending on number of speakers in a session). They are intended to communicate key ideas, findings, or perspectives in a clear and accessible way.

For collaborative sessions, there are no pre-set schedule of speakers. Each organizer has the flexibility to design the session and ensure that participants are engaged meaningfully.

Organized Session Contributions

Organized sessions include six to eight presenters. Each research session will be 55 minutes long.  five minute talks followed by 15-20 minutes of live interactive exchange.  These sessions:

• Have a clearly defined focus or question
• Are timely and relevant in a global context
• May either be a live session or a collaborative session in any accepted format
• Facilitate interaction, discussion, and synthesis. 

Session organizers should be prepared to review individual contributions that could potentially fit their session. 

Individual contributions (See Individual Talks)

Individual contributions may be added to organized sessions or grouped into thematic sessions and followed by extended discussion periods led by a session facilitator. The goal is to use short presentations as a catalyst for exchange, feedback, and synthesis. 

Conference Registration 

All speakers, presenters, session organizers and attendees must register to participate. 

Anticipated Schedule of Registration fees

Registration Type	ESA Member	Non-member
Professionals	$150	$175
Students	$80	$95
Developing country Based on World Bank classification of Low Income and lower middle income countries	$50	$75

Those who are not ESA members are invited to join ESA. Membership categories and benefits may be found here

General conference registration is expected to open in December.

Need registration fee help?

It is important that all ecologists be able to participate in ESA’s programming. Financial constraints should not prevent an ecologist from being able to participate.  ESA is seeking sponsorships and plan to make a pool of funds available for registration grants. Details TBD. Please check back in fall 2027.