The School will be held in São Paulo, Brazil, between October 27 and November 8. Sixty young environmental scientists and technicians from Brazil and abroad will be selected to participate.

Applications are now open for the São Paulo School of Advanced Science “Co-designing Biodiversity Assessments”. The school will take place in São Pedro (SP), about 200 kilometers from São Paulo city, from October 27 to November 8, 2024.

The School will be organized by the Graduate Program in Ecology at the Institute of Biology of the University of Campinas. It aims to train young environmental scientists and technicians to obtain and critically analyze biodiversity data more effectively, thus helping them to meet real-life demands. “The school was conceived as an intensive, problem-oriented theoretical-practical course,” explains Thomas Lewinsohn of Unicamp’s Institute of Biology and the school’s general coordinator.

Organized as part of the São Paulo School of Advanced Science (ESPCA) Program, funded chiefly by FAPESP, the event will bring together leading researchers in the field of biodiversity with representatives of different user segments of this information. The School will combine the demands of society – including multilateral organizations, government agencies, NGOs and the private sector – for biodiversity information with the current capabilities to meet these demands with scientific rigor.

Topics covered will include the conservation of biodiversity, the impacts of climate change and land use, the effectiveness of biodiversity restoration and management, the maintenance of ecosystem services and functions under different use regimes, and the sociocultural uses of biodiversity.

Speakers will include Bráulio Dias of the Ministry of the Environment of Brazil and former Executive Secretary of the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity; Diane Srivastava, director of the Living Data Project and professor at the University of British Columbia, Canada; Robin Chazdon, of the University of Connecticut and global co-director of the Assisted Natural Regeneration Alliance; and Joice Ferreira of Embrapa Amazônia Oriental, winner of the 2019 Ecological Engagement Award from the British Ecological Society.

All participants will have the opportunity to present their work (completed or ongoing research or technical work in environmental agencies or NGOs) in flash talks.

In the second part of the School, participants will work in groups to develop projects that focus on concrete needs and problems, such as how to compare diversity among structurally different ecosystems, how to assess the impact of different agroproduction practices on biodiversity, or how to assess the effectiveness of conservation initiatives.

“At the end of the School, we expect to have contributions to both science and decision-making”, explains Simone Vieira, of Unicamp’s Center for Environmental Studies and Research (Nepam) and the School’s vice-coordinator.

The School will fully fund the participation of 60 young environmental scientists and technicians from abroad and Brazil. Those interested must apply by March 11 at 3 p.m. (UTM-3) using the online form. Participants are expected to be able to follow presentations and communicate minimally in English. Selected candidates will be notified on April 1st.