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How can scientific insights inspire transformative change for biodiversity and nature conservation?
Seminar followed by Q&A and drinks – attend in person or join online – all welcome
Abstract: Despite a growing recognition of the triple crisis of biodiversity loss, climate change and pollution, we continue to fall short of delivering the change required. The awareness that increasing efforts in Multilateral Agreements, national conservation action and sustainable finance have not translated into commensurate outcomes, highlighting the need to rethink not the quantity but the quality of efforts addressing them. The global assessment by the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) defines a deliberate transformative change as a system-wide shift in views, structures and practices that are capable of addressing the underlying causes of biodiversity loss and nature’s decline. The report identifies five interdependent strategies and 22 associated actions, which are (1) conserving and regenerating places of value; (2) driving change in the sectors most responsible; (3) transforming economic systems; (4) transforming governance; and (5) shifting societal views and values. In this seminar, Dr Yves Zinngrebe will introduce the IPBES process, provide an overview of the assessment’s conceptual framing and provide examples from his own research to illustrate what these strategies imply for implementation and what is required to operationalise them.
Biography: Dr. Yves Zinngrebe is a senior researcher and research group lead at the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ). His academic work focuses on the analysis of public policies and institutional frameworks that foster a more sustainable relationship between society and nature. He has conducted fieldwork in Peru, Germany, Honduras, Uganda, Rwanda, and Indonesia, exploring issues such as agroforestry, biodiversity, and land use. He was a Coordinating Lead Author of the global IPBES Transformative Change Assessment, has followed the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and its implementation for almost two decades, has served as the lead scientific advisor for the revision of Germany’s National Biodiversity Strategy, and currently coordinates the EU project RESPIN, which aims to strengthen science-policy interfaces in the areas of climate change and biodiversity.
The seminar will explore real-world strategies and actions to enable transformative change in biodiversity, with a focus on case studies from Germany and Peru. Drawing on his experience, Dr. Zinngrebe will share key insights into how to move toward more just, sustainable, and resilient systems and draw connections to the implementation of the CBD’s Global Biodiversity Framework.
Date:
30 January 2026, 16:15
Venue:
Dyson Perrins Building, off South Parks Road OX1 3QY
Venue Details:
Main lecture theatre, 1st floor (lift available)
Speaker:
Dr Yves Zinngrebe (Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ))
Organising department:
Environmental Change Institute
Organisers:
Carlyn Samuel (University of Oxford),
Jane Applegarth (University of Oxford, Oxford University Centre for the Environment)
Organiser contact email address:
biodiversity@ouce.ox.ac.uk
Host:
Professor Yadvinder Malhi (University of Oxford)
Part of:
Leverhulme Centre for Nature Recovery and the Biodiversity Network seminar series
Booking required?:
Required
Booking url:
https://bookwhen.com/oxfordbiodiversitynetwork
Cost:
Free
Audience:
Public
Editor:
Jane Applegarth
