Katalin Török on SERE2026 and the Growing Momentum for Ecological Restoration

By Katalin Török

The 15th European Conference on Ecological Restoration (SERE2026) with over 600 participants from 52 countries was a stimulating event held from 24-28 August in Brest, France. The scale of the conference did not allow to listen to the majority of talks, due to 10 or 11 parallel sessions. However, the plenary lectures and the selected sessions offered a wide range of opportunities for learning. I can report on the boost of the volume and diversity on restoration activities, broadening of ideas and improving policy relevance over the sequence of SERE conferences. The policy relevance was very pronounced in Brest due to the Nature Restoration Regulation (NRR) and the submission of national restoration plans, due September 2026. The declaration of the conference also urged for timely and full implementation of the targets of the NRR.

The idea and strategy to develop a Restoration Topic Centre (RTC) within the eLTER Research Infrastructure was presented by Bruna Paolinelli Reis within the Session: National Hubs and Networks for Ecological Restoration (SS4). Unfortunately, my presentation on another topic was assigned to the same time in a parallel session, so I was not present. However, there was a general interest in the idea and further opportunities of the (RTC), and also questions on to how join the eLTER site network (via DEIMS). The meeting provided an opportunity to continue discussions between the Hungarian and the Portuguese representatives of the RTC initiative on possible follow up activities and option for financing.

Reference: Bruna Paolinelli Reis, Cristina Branquinho, Alice Nunes , Melinda Halassy, Török Katalin (2026) From Data to Action: Establishing an eLTER European Restoration Hub to Inform Policy and Practice (oral presentation, Conference Booklet p. 55 )