From 17-20 November 2026, the Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ) is organizing the 7th edition of the World Conference on Marine Biodiversity (WCMB 2026) in the city of Bruges, Belgium. The conference has been endorsed as a UN Ocean Decade Event.
In collaboration with the WCMB 2026 Scientific Committee, several sub-themes have been defined, which will guide the overall organization of the Conference:
- Challenges to achieve the UN Ocean Decade goals
- Marine biodiversity: it’s all about the base(line)s and trends
- Building e-oceans to help us fill our knowledge gaps
- Marine biodiversity enthusiasts and stewards for the future: who are they, where do they come from, what are their needs and what drives them?
- Challenges, changes and opportunities in marine taxonomic research: from specimens to genes
- Science that makes a difference: supporting knowledge-based policies
- Taking the pulse of the ocean: measuring our current marine biodiversity knowledge through monitoring networks and programs
- Other
For this call for session proposals, each proposal must be linked to one of the conference sub-themes mentioned above. Sessions can focus on a network, project, initiative, or a specific, clearly defined scientific topic or question of broad interest within the field of marine biodiversity, in connection with the chosen sub-theme.
For further information visit this link. Deadline for submissions is 31 March 2025.