This May 13, the University of Vigo announced a major international ecology meeting taking place June 2–5, 2025 in Pontevedra, Spain. The joint XVII Congress of the Spanish Association of Terrestrial Ecology (AEET) and III Iberian Ecology Meeting (SIBECOL) will convene over 800 ecologists (from ~20 countries) at Pontevedra’s Pazo da Cultura, featuring plenary lectures, 40+ thematic sessions (~450 talks) and 250+ poster presentations. Coordinated by researchers from UVigo, USC and CSIC’s Misión Biológica de Galicia with support from the Pontevedra City Council, the program includes plenary talks, thematic sessions and dozens of posters. It comes under the bold slogan “Another science is possible: diversity, degrowth and sustainability in ecological research”, reflecting a push to build a more inclusive, sustainable future for science.
The organizers emphasize that science must not “exhaust people or the planet”. This congress is built around three pillars – diversity, degrowth and sustainability – reflecting urgent concerns such as the “unprecedented loss of biological diversity” that research must address. They advocate concrete changes: reducing the ecological footprint of research, including diverse perspectives and knowledge, and adopting fairer, more sustainable scientific practices. Alongside academic sessions, the program includes public workshops, field trips and community talks to bring these ideas into Pontevedra’s streets.