Between May 12 and 15, 2025, the SELINA Consortium convened for its highly anticipated 5th thematic Workshop at the University of the Azores in Ponta Delgada, marking a pivotal moment for the transdisciplinary European research initiative. This event, which brought together approximately 80 in-person participants and an additional 10 virtual attendees, served as the first physical assembly of the SELINA partners in nearly a year—a crucial juncture for revitalizing collaboration and refining the project’s ambitious objectives. The gathering underscored the increasing necessity of integrating biodiversity and ecosystem service research with policy frameworks across Europe to address rapidly evolving environmental challenges.
The core thematic focus of this meeting was “Integration,” a principle that runs deeply through SELINA’s expansive framework comprising eleven distinct yet interconnected Work Packages. By fostering enhanced coherence among these groups, the workshop aimed to optimize the diverse expertise and outputs cultivated thus far, setting the trajectory for an aligned approach in the project’s forthcoming phases. Over the span of four intensive days, participants engaged in thorough evaluations of scientific progress, synergizing their findings to bolster the translational capacity of SELINA’s research into tangible, policy-relevant tools.
Among the most significant developments announced was the official launch of a dedicated Community of Practice (CoP) portal on the SELINA website. This online platform represents a major leap forward in knowledge sharing and stakeholder engagement, enabling continuous exchange among researchers, decision-makers, and practitioners dispersed across Europe. The CoP framework is designed as a dynamic vehicle to augment collaborative learning, foster innovation in ecosystem service assessments, and streamline dissemination of best practices, thereby reinforcing the network’s responsiveness to emergent environmental and socio-political needs.
Attention was also given to the Compendium of Guidance (CoG), a fundamental SELINA tool that distills complex interdisciplinary methodologies into accessible, operational guidance. The workshop’s interactive sessions facilitated an in-depth review of the CoG’s evolving content, emphasizing its role in standardizing protocols for integrated biodiversity and ecosystem service evaluations. This standardization serves as a cornerstone for enhancing the comparability and interoperability of ecological data across varying European contexts, ultimately supporting evidence-based decision-making at multiple governance levels.
Crucially, the 5th Workshop spotlighted the emerging Early Career Research Network (ECRN), a platform fostering cross-generational dialogue and capacity building among newer researchers within the environmental sciences. By providing targeted mentoring and fostering collaborative projects, the ECRN acts as an incubator for innovative approaches and fresh perspectives essential for navigating the complexities of simultaneous biodiversity conservation and ecosystem management challenges. This focus on nurturing early-career experts ensures continuity in expertise and sustains the vitality of SELINA’s scientific community.
The collaborative spirit permeated the workshop’s numerous working group sessions, where participants engaged hands-on to share insights, troubleshoot methodological limitations, and co-develop integrative frameworks. These exercises proved instrumental in breaking down disciplinary silos, facilitating a deeper understanding of how ecological indicators can be harmonized with societal values and policy imperatives. The multidisciplinary dialogue fostered at the event signals a paradigm shift towards genuinely integrative science, which SELINA strives to exemplify.
Throughout the meeting, feedback from international experts was solicited during the Advisory Board sessions, further enriching the discourse with external perspectives. These critiques and endorsements serve not only to validate ongoing efforts but also to identify strategic gaps and emerging priorities, ensuring that SELINA’s research trajectory remains robust and adaptive. The infusion of external expertise is a testament to the project’s commitment to transparency, scientific rigor, and responsiveness to the broader research and policy communities.
Benjamin Burkhard, Project Coordinator and a professor at Leibniz University Hannover, reflected on the intense transdisciplinary interactions, remarking on the inspiring environment of São Miguel Island. The rich biodiversity and unique ecosystem services of the Azores provided a living laboratory, motivating participants to renew their commitment to SELINA’s mission. This blend of place-based inspiration and scientific endeavor encapsulates the ethos of SELINA—linking ecological complexity with practical sustainability targets.
This workshop builds on the foundations laid in previous SELINA events across Europe, including Sofia, Madrid, Leiden, and Trondheim. Each iteration has progressively deepened the collaborative fabric of the consortium, refining methodologies and expanding stakeholder engagement. The baton now passes to the University of Trento in Italy, host of the forthcoming 6th workshop scheduled for October 2025, where these accumulated insights will be further advanced.
As SELINA approaches the midpoint of its project timeline, it steadfastly pursues its ambitious goal of producing interdisciplinary knowledge that is not only scientifically profound but also immediately relevant for decision-making. The integration of ecological, social, and economic data streams enables the generation of nuanced, actionable insights to guide biodiversity conservation and ecosystem management, addressing pressing challenges like habitat fragmentation, climate change impacts, and sustainable resource use.
At its core, SELINA exemplifies the modern paradigm of environmental research where collaboration across sectors, disciplinary boundaries, and geographic regions is vital. By institutionalizing tools like the Communities of Practice and the Compendium of Guidance, the project sets a new standard for how scientific consortia can operate effectively at the science-policy nexus. This model may serve as a blueprint for other large-scale environmental initiatives seeking to reconcile complex biodiversity data with policy frameworks.
Engagement and dissemination remain paramount as SELINA’s layers of research unfold. Leveraging a multi-platform strategy that includes its website and active presence on social media channels such as LinkedIn, Bluesky, and YouTube, the project ensures broad accessibility and real-time communication with diverse stakeholders. This openness not only democratizes knowledge but also catalyzes wider adoption and scaling of SELINA-developed approaches across the European continent.
Looking ahead, the SELINA Consortium remains optimistic yet vigilant about the challenges inherent in such ambitious endeavors. The evolving environmental landscape demands innovative, integrative science that can anticipate and respond to dynamic socio-ecological conditions. SELINA’s ongoing commitment to co-producing interdisciplinary, policy-relevant knowledge, grounded in active stakeholder involvement, positions it as a critical contributor to Europe’s biodiversity and ecosystem service agendas in the decades to come.
Subject of Research: Integrated biodiversity and ecosystem service assessments for European environmental policy and management.
Article Title: SELINA Consortium Advances Integration and Collaboration at the 5th Thematic Workshop in the Azores
News Publication Date: May 2025
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Image Credits: Pensoft Publishers
Keywords: Science communication, Science policy, Scientific organizations
