The World Biodiversity Forum 2026  in Davos, organised by the University of Zurich, brought together scientists, policymakers, businesses, conservation practitioners and many other stakeholder groups to discuss pathways toward a nature-positive future.

PhD candidate Sophia Meyer  presented findings of her third PhD study ‘Buffering potential of plant diversity on the spatiotemporal variability of annual biomass increments at the plot, field and farm scale in semi-natural grasslands’ at this conference. A central theme throughout the forum was the challenge of translating knowledge into action. In workshops focused on knowledge transfer and the science-policy interface, participants explored how different sectors can work more effectively together despite differing priorities, languages and perspectives. Speaker Wendy Smith called to move from ‘they’ to ‘us’ and from ‘or’ to ‘and’, emphasising shared responsibility and collaboration across sectors and communities.

An inspiring message came from Becky Chaplin Kramer, who called for a stronger focus on recovery rather than solely documenting species decline. While understanding biodiversity loss remains important, she emphasised the need to accelerate the implementation of solutions that restore ecosystems and reverse negative trends. Science is an evolving process rather than a fixed set of answers. In this context, speakers encouraged openness to different perspectives and cautioned against confirmation bias. One of the highlights of the conference was a moving talk by Lyla June, who emphasised the crucial role of Indigenous knowledge in biodiversity conservation and sustainable land management. Her message is that humans can act as ‘keystone species’ that ‘catalyse biodiversity’, and in this way help to sustain, promote and restore biodiversity as an integral part of social-ecological systems.

The forum provided valuable opportunities to connect with people from around the world and renewed the motivation and optimism needed to tackle the biodiversity crisis through dialogue, collaboration and joint effort, building a more nature-positive future.

 

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