Pensoft was proud to be a part of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) World Conservation Congress, held in Abu Dhabi from September 9th to 15th, 2025. This event brought together over 10,000 participants from 189 countries under five central themes: Scaling Up Resilient Conservation Action; Reducing Climate Overshoot Risks; Delivering on Equity; Transitioning to Nature-Positive Economies and Societies; and Disruptive Innovation and Leadership for Conservation.
During the Congress, numerous concrete steps were taken towards advancing conservation efforts.These included the adoption of a 20-year Strategic Vision for the Union, the Abu Dhabi Call to Action outlining key global priorities, and announcing panama as the host of the next World Protected and Conserved Areas Congress in 2027.
Pensoft’s involvement in this event was represented by Prof Lyubomir Penev (Founder and CEO), Maria Kolesnikova (Marketing and Sales Manager), and Denitsa Peneva (Scientific Illustrator). At their dedicated booth, thay engaged attendees in conversations about how open science, innovative publishing, and collaborative research can drive conservation efforts.The booth also highlighted Pensoft’s participation in Horizon 2020 projects such as REST-COAST which aims to restore coastal ecosystems through nature-based solutions. Visitors were able to explore Pensoft’s diverse range of open-access journals including Nature Conservation, One Ecosystems, EMTREES journal Systematic Biology Concepts & Applications.Pensoft’s presence at this important event showcased their commitment towards supporting biodiversity recovery and sustainable ecosystem management through active participation in international initiatives.Estuarine management and technologies play a crucial role in preserving the health and biodiversity of our planet’s estuaries. These unique ecosystems, where freshwater meets saltwater, are home to a diverse array of species and provide numerous ecological services. However, they are also highly vulnerable to human activities such as pollution, overfishing, and climate change.
To address these challenges, various initiatives have been launched to promote sustainable estuarine management practices. One such effort is the collaboration between Pensoft and several EU projects: COOP4CBD, BIOAGORA, RESPIN, TRANSPATH. these projects aim to bridge the gap between science and policy by promoting evidence-based decision-making for biodiversity conservation and climate goals.
Another important aspect of estuarine management is individual-based ecology research. This approach focuses on understanding how individual organisms interact with their surroundings rather than just studying populations or communities as a whole. To support this innovative approach in estuarine research, Pensoft has recently launched Individual-based Ecology (IBE), an open-access journal dedicated to publishing high-quality studies in this field.At the recent IUCN World Conservation Congress 2025 held in Marseille, France, two sessions highlighted the critical connection between science, policy,and practice in estuarine management: “Bridging Science and Policy: European Action for Biodiversity and Climate Goals”and “Advancing Large Scale Restoration Programmes Through Sharing Insights of EU Funded Nature Restoration Projects”. These sessions showcased successful examples of collaboration between scientists,policy-makers,and practitioners towards achieving sustainable estuary management.
In addition to these presentations,Pensoft also had a booth at the congress where attendees could learn more about our journals estuarine Management & Technologies (EMT)and NeoBiota.Our team was excited to share our latest publications,such as EMT’s special issue on “Climate Change Impacts on Estuaries”and neobiota’s special issue on “invasive alien Species in Europe”. We also had the possibility to discuss our new journal IBE and its potential impact on individual-based ecology research.
The congress was a great platform for promoting the importance of estuarine management and technologies, as well as showcasing Pensoft’s commitment to supporting this field through our journals. We look forward to continuing our collaboration with EU projects and other partners towards achieving sustainable estuary management.
A Platform for Long-Term Impact
The IUCN Congress is a highly anticipated event that brings together global conservationists to discuss the future of collaborative efforts. For Pensoft, participating in the Abu Dhabi conference reaffirmed our commitment to promoting open, accessible, and data-driven knowledge to support the protection and restoration of our planet’s ecosystems.
The discussions, partnerships, and pledges made at IUCN 2025 will continue to shape our approach to science interaction and innovation in the years ahead.
Relive some of the highlights from the conference on Bluesky and LinkedIn using #IUCNcongress.
This sounds like an incredible opportunity to learn about cutting-edge conservation practices!