From 13 to 16 May 2025, CESAM hosted the Alternet Conference at the University of Aveiro, bringing together researchers, practitioners, and policymakers committed to achieving transformative change for a better future. Among the many inspiring sessions was an interactive event co-organised by Eszter Kelemen and Kármen Czett, linked to the PLANET4B Project and its transformative change stories.
Shaping Biodiversity Futures: A PLANET4B session
This session provided a platform for dialogue around transformative change for biodiversity, with a special focus on place-based stories. Participants were invited to share concrete examples where individual behaviours, community actions, or institutional frameworks have shifted in ways that support positive change for biodiversity.
In the first part of the session, colleagues from PLANET4B presented their localised transformative change stories. Both Hungarian case studies represented themselves:
- Borbála Lipka shared insights on agrobiodiversity and seed-saving practices, exploring the transformative potential of self-organising in the open pollinated vegetable seed system;
- Kármen Czett presented work on biodiversity education, highlighting how experiential and arts-based learning methods can inspire a deeper, more emotional connection to nature and spark long-term shifts in awareness and values.
All of the presentations showcased how grounded, local actions – rooted in specific intersectional contexts – can contribute meaningfully to wider societal transformations.
Theory, Methodology, and Impact
The second part of the session offered a reflective turn, with short presentations setting the scene, followed by a world café discussion in smaller groups. Participants explored:
- Theoretical insights into what drives transformative change, how it happens, and what early signals we might look for;
- Methodological considerations about ensuring the potentialities of creative/deliberative methods to foster transformative change;
- Impact assessment, focusing on how we can meaningfully define and evaluate transformative outcomes and amplify their effects in biodiversity-related work.
This structure encouraged fruitful exchanges, with participants contributing their perspectives, experiences, and critical reflections.
Setting the Scene: Keynote talk by Alex Franklin
Earlier that day, Alex Franklin, coordinator of PLANET4B, delivered a powerful keynote talk. She emphasised the urgency of societal transformation to address the biodiversity crisis, framing it as a journey towards equity, interspecies care, and enhanced response-ability. Her talk also highlighted the role of academia and transdisciplinary collaboration in catalysing change.
A Broader Perspective
Beyond PLANET4B, other ESSRG projects were also well represented at the conference, including FORWARDS and BioAgora. The conference was not only intellectually stimulating but also a wonderful opportunity to connect with colleagues across Europe. Under the sunny skies of Portugal, we exchanged ideas, built new connections and strengthened existing ones, while finding renewed inspiration to continue our work for biodiversity.
