The Final Event of NaturaConnect: Science, Policy and the Future of Europe’s Nature Network

At a time when strengthening biodiversity protection and climate resilience has never been more urgent, cost-efficient and evidence-based approaches to conservation are gaining real policy traction. The NaturaConnect project has spent four years developing precisely these approaches – and this event is your opportunity to engage with the results. We will present the project’s scientific outputs, innovative decision-support tools and policy recommendations, covering protected area expansion, restoration priorities and key ecological corridors that together form the Trans-European Nature Network (TEN-N) across a range of climate and land-use scenarios. Through panel sessions and keynote speeches, the event will help chart a path forward – ensuring NaturaConnect’s tools, datasets and guidelines continue to inform conservation planning beyond the project’s lifetime.

What you will gain

Learn about our decision-support tools for cost-efficient protected area expansion and ecological connectivity planning in the EU

Insights from six case study regions: the Danube-Carpathian Region, Finland, France, Portugal, Doñana and Halle-Leipzig

Understanding of how NaturaConnect findings can support the implementation of EU policy frameworks, including the Birds and Habitats Directives, the EU Biodiversity Strategy 2030 and the Nature Restoration Regulation

Opportunities to engage with policymakers, government authorities and researchers on concrete commitments for the TEN-N

An evening networking opportunity in the Dinosaur Gallery of the Natural Sciences Museum, Brussels

Programme Overview

The day moves from science to strategy to action – opening with welcome remarks and introductory keynotes on the EU policy context, moving through the project’s key findings and case study presentations, before turning to implementation: how the research translates into national and EU policy, what comes next for TEN-N, and how participants can contribute to its realisation. The event closes with a joint networking session in the Dinosaur Gallery Mezzanine at the Natural Sciences Museum.

The full programme and more information can be seen on this link.