Bio
Prof. Károly Németh is a distinguished geologist with a rich academic background and extensive research experience. He holds dual PhDs in geology and environmental sciences and has served as a Professor in Geology at Massey University, New Zealand. He is a Doctor of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences and currently works as an advisor to the Saudi Geological Survey and for the Institute of Earth Physics and Space Science in Sopron, Hungary. His research spans volcanic fields in New Zealand, Saudi Arabia, and Hungary, focusing on monogenetic volcanoes, volcanic field evolution, and volcanic geoheritage. Dr. Németh is also an Editorial Board Member of several international journals and has been involved in numerous research projects, contributing significantly to the understanding of volcanic hazards and geoconservation. He has been listed in the Stanford Top 2% of researchers in Earth Sciences for the past four consecutive years. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1026-0407 Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=ULBOle0AAAAJ&hl=en Scopus: https://www.sciencedirect.com/author/7004989401/karoly-nemeth

Talk
Presentation Title: Aquaculture-based Conservation Strategies: The Case of Pinna nobilis in the Central Mediterranean (Greece) Brief Abstract of the Presentation: Pinna nobilis, endemic to the Mediterranean Sea, has been experiencing a gradual population decline over recent decades due to anthropogenic pressures on its ecosystems. However, since 2016, its populations have suffered significant reductions because of pathological issues affecting the species across all its habitats. Aquaculture techniques to support the limited natural recruitment P. nobilis efforts are examined. Artificial substrates for larval attachments in aquaculture infrastructures promote the survival of the juveniles that is further enhanced through protected pre-growing “nursery” farming conditions. Specific spat collectors were placed in two cage-fish farms in SW Amvrakikos Gulf. The harvested spats from there were transferred to pre-grow in trays hung on a long line farm mussel acting as a protected “nursery”, avoiding predation and any accidental human disturbance. The results highlight the significant role of aquaculture techniques in efforts to conserve a threatened species as well as the need for the creation of a protocol to ensure the conservation of P. nobilis.

Bio
Prof. Ioannis Theodorou is a graduate of the Department of Biology at the University of Patras with a specialization in Fisheries & Shellfish Farming (Bangor University, Wales, UK), Quality Management of Fishery Products & Marketing (University of Hull, UK) and has a PhD in Applied Biological Sciences (Ghent University, Belgium). He has over 25 years of professional experience in Mediterranean Aquaculture, during which he has implemented more than 30 industrial, educational, and research projects in this field. As an expert, he has served as a consultant to national (SETH, Ministry of Environment & Climate Change) and international agencies & organizations (FAO-GFCM) in Europe (EU, AquaTT) and the USA (NOAA). He has published 78 papers and 13 chapters in collective volumes and supervised the completion of 1 PhD thesis and 10 master’s theses. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7127-5779 Google scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=y2CYJNIAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao Scopus: https://www.scopus.com/authid/detail.uri?authorId=6603499253 Web of Science Researcher: https://www.webofscience.com/wos/author/record/2072990

Talk
Presentation Title: Building a Strategy to Quantify the Conservation Status of Island Native Forest Habitats Brief Abstract of the Presentation: Quantifying the conservation status of island native forest habitats remains a central challenge for biodiversity science and conservation practice because these systems are simultaneously rich in endemics, highly fragmented and especially vulnerable to invasion and long-term ecological change. Evidence from the Azorean SLAM program shows that standardized long-term arthropod monitoring provides an exceptional basis for assessing habitat conditions in these forests, while also revealing that biodiversity erosion is frequently expressed through compositional change rather than simple richness loss. Taken together, the rise of exotic species, the unstable and stochastic dynamics of non-native taxa, and the decline of some endemic species tied to the forest floor make it clear that island forest conservation cannot be assessed adequately without metrics that reflect both the biogeographic identity of species and the vertical dimension of the habitat they occupy. I argue that a robust strategy should combine four elements: long-term standardized sampling, explicit separation of endemic, native non-endemic and introduced assemblage components, assessment across epigean, understory and canopy strata, and application of multimetric Indices of Biotic Integrity calibrated for island forests. Such a framework moves beyond inventory-based assessments and offers a practical tool for conservation prioritization, restoration evaluation and early detection of habitat degradation in island native forests.

Bio
I received a Ph.D. in Insect Ecology from the University of London (Imperial College) in 1997 and I am currently leading the Island Biodiversity, Biogeography and Conservation research group (IBBC). I participated in the development of the Azorean Biodiversity Portal (http://azoresbioportal.uac.pt/), a unique and important web interface for communicating biodiversity research in the Azorean region to the public. I am a professor of Ecology at the University of Azores. My research focuses on arthropod macroecology patterns and processes on island ecosystems. For many years, I have been involved in island research using the Macaronesian islands and in particular the Azores as a model system. I am currently Co-Chair of the IUCN/SSC Atlantic Island Invertebrates Specialist Group and member of the IUCN - Spider and Scorpion Specialist Group and the IUCN/SSC Monitoring Specialist Group. My current research is driven by three overarching objectives: i) collect long-term ecological data to investigate the processes affecting patterns of species diversity, abundance and distribution at different spatial scales; ii) use Macaronesia as a model system to investigate ecological and evolutionary mechanisms responsible for shaping island biotas; iii) identify pathways that impact oceanic indigenous assemblages under global change for conservation purposes.

Talk
Presentation Title: Cities That Love Nature: Conservation and Coexistence in Biophilic Cities Brief Abstract of the Presentation: Tim Beatley will present the contours of an emerging vision of cities, Biophilic Cities, that at once emphasizes the health and ecological benefits of nature for humans, but also the inherent moral worth of nonhuman life. Cities must be designed as multispecies habitats and with coexistence and biodiversity conservation as priorities. A special focus in the talk will be given to birds and the important ways that cities can be designed and planned to be bird-safe and bird-friendly (building on the ideas and stories presented in his recent Island Press book, The Bird-Friendly City). Beatley will also discuss the creation of the international Biophilic Cities Network, now more than a decade old, and provide examples of innovative practices, policies and projects that aim to include nonhuman life.

Bio
Timothy Beatley is the Teresa Heinz Professor of Sustainable Communities at the University of Virginia, where he has taught for more than thirty years. He is the author or co-author of more than twenty-five books, including Blue Urbanism: Connecting Cities and Oceans (Island Press) and Blue Biophilic Cities: Nature and Resilience Along the Urban Coast (Palgrave-MacMillan). Beatley directs the Biophilic Cities Network at UVA (http://biophiliccities.org/) co-founded UVA’s Center for Design and Health, and is helping to create a new Center for Forest Urbanism.