CHANGE – Global Change and Sustainability Institute participated in the IUCN World Conservation Congress 2025, held between 7 and 15 October in Abu Dhabi and online, one of the world's largest meetings dedicated to nature conservation. The congress brought together more than 10,000 participants from 189 countries, in numerous sessions that defined commitments and innovations that will shape global conservation for decades to come.
On October 9, 2025, CHANGE joined the session "European Farming Living Labs Perspective for Climate Change and Biodiversity in Food Systems", dedicated to exploring the role of Living Labs as open research and innovation infrastructures, which promote participatory and inclusive approaches in the development of sustainable agricultural policies and in monitoring the impacts of climate change and the loss of biodiversity.
The session was moderated by Elodie Champseix (IUCN Brussels), with interventions by Ioannis Manikas (Czech University of Life Sciences) and Marc Rosiers (MR F&A Consult / ELO European Policy Group), and the European projects Eco-Ready and Climate Farm Demo were presented, which promote networks of pilot farmers to test climate-smart agricultural solutions, contributing to a carbon-neutral Europe and the preservation of biodiversity.
Susana Filipe, researcher at CHANGE, presented the Montado Living Lab, a living laboratory accredited by the European Network of Living Labs, which brings together farmers, researchers, policy makers, associations and companies around the sustainability of the agro-silvo-pastoral system of the Montado, essential in the Mediterranean context. The Montado Living Lab promotes sustainable practices that reinforce the multiple functions of that ecosystem, with a focus on improving soil health, conserving and restoring biodiversity, and maintaining socioeconomic and environmental balance.
The session also featured presentations by the LivOrganic Living Lab (Denmark) and the Czech Organics Living Lab (Czech Republic), creating a space for sharing experiences and lessons learned. The group discussions that followed focused on the methods of co-creation, multi-stakeholder engagement and knowledge transfer, which are key to scaling climate innovation and increasing the influence of Living Labs on European public policy.