From June 15-19, members of our research team participated in the Society of Conservation Biology’s (SCB) 32nd International Congress for Conservation Biology (ICCB 2025), hosted by the SCB Oceania Region in Brisbane/Meanjin, Australia at the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre (BCEC).

Jasmine, Ascelin and Sayed ran a pre-congress workshop on June 14 titled “A holistic approach for understanding the diverse influences of conservation” which brought together 17 participants from a range of different disciplines including biology, ecology, human geography and social science.

The workshop comprised a series of interactive and
discussion-based activities to inspire holistic thinking around who and what is influenced by conservation initiatives, and how. Participants came up with a diverse range of potential entities and influences that could be affected by one of our case study sites: Gluepot Reserve, South Australia.

We received positive comments from participants who enjoyed the process of the activities, and constructive feedback from some who found certain aspects challenging. The workshop provided an opportunity for diverse conservation scientists and practitioners to connect with one another, exchanging both knowledge and experiences. The workshop acted as a pilot test for our first phase of fieldwork: focus group discussions with Private Protected Area (PPA) managers.

ICCB pre-congress workshop at the University of Queensland, St Lucia, Magandjin/Brisbane. Photo credit: Jasmine Pearson

The following day, Jasmine co-organised a symposium on “Social-ecological transformations in non-public conservation policy and practice” with Erica Cseko Nolasco (PhD Candidate at QUT) and presented a speed talk on the More than a reserve project. She presented a speed talk on the project aims, background context and plans for fieldwork phase one.