Call for session proposals

Status: Call open - Submit your session proposal here

Submission deadline: 31st March 2025

Feedback: 15th May 2025

The overall theme of the conference is “The marine biodiversity insights we need, for the ocean we want”. 

As the WCMB 2026 will take place a little over halfway through the UN Ocean Decade, it will provide an excellent opportunity to take stock of ongoing actions and initiatives, but also evaluate what still needs to be tackled by the end of the Decade.

In collaboration with the WCMB 2026 Scientific Committee, several sub-themes have been defined, which will guide the overall organization of the Conference. A proposed session under a sub-theme may be constructed around a network, project, initiative or a specific, clearly defined scientific topic or question of broad interest within the field of marine biodiversity and in connection with the chosen theme.  

Each session is open for attendance by all WCMB 2026 participants. A proposed session is 90 minutes and will be led by a chair and a co-chair. Within a session, there will be at least 1-2 speakers to introduce the session and set the scene. They will be accompanied by presentations selected from submitted abstracts and/or a well-structured discussion forum. The conveners of a session are highly encouraged to already list possible other contributing speakers for their proposed session (next to their 1-2 session speakers)  or – in the case of a discussion forum – outline the structure and general topics for the discussion, with clear goals and possible outcomes of such a discussion. 

All (co-)chairs and listed session speakers will need to register to the Conference, as soon as registration opens (January 2026).

Required information: 

• Session title 
• Indication of the chosen theme for your session (max 2)
• Short description (300 words) of the proposed session, including a clear link with the chosen theme 
• Name + affiliation of the convenor(s) / contact person + email 
• Name + affiliation of the speaker(s) who will introduce/set the scene, and an indicative title of their talks 
• Name + affiliation of chair & co-chair 
• List of possible other speakers within the proposed session 
• In case of discussion: name + affiliation of the moderator, and an outline of the goals and possible outcomes 

Sub-themes:

1. Challenges to achieve UN Ocean Decade goals 

By November 2026, we will be a little over the halfway point of the UN Ocean Decade. This is an excellent time to take stock of accomplishments, as well as to identify and tackle the challenges that remain to achieve the UN Ocean Decade goals by 2030. 

Are you involved in a UN Ocean Decade initiative? This is your chance to communicate on progress, connections with other (UN Ocean Decade) actions, and invite partners to reach the overall UN Ocean Decade goals by 2030. 

2. Marine biodiversity: it’s all about the base(line)s and trends 

Changes in marine biodiversity over time and space impact ecosystem services and how they function. But what are the baselines we can use to gauge change, and how are trends changing over time?  

This sub-theme is open to all sessions related to the broader, global picture of marine biodiversity and how our (species, genetics, habitat) knowledge drives the way we protect our ocean, influences conservation & restoration management and policy decisions, and serves as a measure for future needs.

3. Building e-oceans to help us fill our knowledge gaps  

Although we have significantly improved our knowledge on marine biodiversity, many knowledge and data gaps remain at different levels, ranging from taxonomy to population dynamics, to adaptations in relation to climate change. In a digital era, the possibilities to study and model the ocean and its inhabitants have become almost endless. The field of bioinformatics has grown rapidly, leading to several well-established e-infrastructures, global databases and digital twins of the ocean. In addition, innovative techniques to describe species or perform biodiversity studies using high-tech equipment have increased our understanding of marine biodiversity. 

This sub-theme welcomes all contributions related to biodiversity data science, bioinformatics, digital twins, e-infrastructures and the use of new technologies and AI to improve our overall knowledge and understanding of marine biodiversity.

4. Marine biodiversity enthusiasts and stewards for the future: who are they, where do they come from, what are their needs and what drives them?

Safeguarding marine biodiversity for the future starts now, by training the next generation of marine stewards, as well as educating the general public on the importance of our ocean and what lives beneath its surface. 

Are you involved in education, training, outreach or ocean literacy? Or is your focus on citizen science, capturing and transferring indigenous knowledge, and communicating on the wonders of our ocean? Then this sub-theme is a perfect fit for you as it welcomes sessions and talks about all activities related to training, education, communication and outreach.

5. Challenges, changes and opportunities in marine taxonomic research: from specimens to genes 

Taxonomy is as old as humankind. However, over time, the way species are being recognized and described has evolved, together with our knowledge of marine biodiversity. 

This sub-theme focuses on taxonomy, which is at the very heart of our knowledge of marine biodiversity. It is not just about descriptions, but also about the parallel challenges taxonomists are facing: keeping up with the current rate of species discoveries and making sure that so-called ‘shelf species’ - discovered by not yet described species - are not forgotten. How is the taxonomic impediment reflected in the current generation of taxonomists?

6. Science that makes a difference: supporting knowledge-based policies 

Decisions on marine conservation and restoration are in the hands of policy and lawmakers. A balance between the needs, capabilities and knowledge worldwide is key, as well as an open dialogue including all stakeholders. How do we feed knowledge on marine biodiversity into the many national, regional and international advisory bodies? 

Within this sub-theme, the focus will be on organizations, initiatives, projects and people that work in the interface of science, policy and society. How can scientists better assist policymakers, and what exactly can scientists learn from policymakers? How can the science-policy interface enrich the decision-making processes and shape people’s awareness and understanding of problems?

7. Taking the pulse of the ocean: measuring our current marine biodiversity knowledge through monitoring networks and programs

Monitoring of marine biodiversity drives our understanding and assessment of the marine environmental status. This contributes to the effective management of marine biodiversity and ecosystem services. Globally, a wide range of monitoring networks are operational, making use of traditional and emerging methodologies.  

This sub-theme is open to all monitoring programs, networks and activities, to share their history, progress, status and lessons learnt. Above all, we want to know how their work has impacted our knowledge of the marine environment and how they see themselves moving forward, discussing technological innovations to monitor marine biodiversity and how different monitoring programs can interact with each other to improve data interoperability. And within all this, how will these networks and monitoring programs ensure their long-term continuation?

8. Other 

Are you missing a sub-theme? Make your own suggestion on what you like to see as an additional sub-theme, and which session(s) you see within this sub-theme.