Virtual Programme

Join the BES Annual Meeting from the comfort of your own home by taking part in our virtual event – giving you access to live-streamed plenary and thematic sessions. You will also have an exclusively virtual scientific programme showcasing research conducted in global yet niche environments, brought to you by a community of diverse international ecologists.

Virtual Scientific Programme

The online programme of oral and poster presentations runs alongside the in-person event and is available to view at any time for up to 3 months after the event. You’ll see topics like:

• Researchers in Tokyo find climate change will shift reproduction timing in rare orchid, accelerating population declines.
• How does climate change alter the synchronization between insect and plant cyclical behaviour? Find out what a 34-year study across Europe revealed.
• Researchers in Botswana recorded a steep drop in wildfires in the Okavango delta in 2020. Could tourism be behind the increased fires?

These are only a small representation of the research that will be presented in our virtual scientific programme. You’ll also have the opportunity to leave comments and questions for the presenters and meet other delegates at the online networking sessions to properly delve into the topics and emerging themes.

Plenary Lectures

Join world leading ecologists, in exploring key themes in ecology crucial for understanding and advancing our science:

• Jane Stout (Professor of Botany at Trinity College Dublin)
• Yadvinder Malhi (Professor of Ecosystem Science at the University of Oxford and BES President)
• Isabella Tree (Award-winning Journalist & Author of Wilding – The Return of Nature to a British Farm)
• Stuart Davies (Director of the Forest Global Earth Observatory at the Smithsonian Institution)

These lectures are available to watch live or on catch-up for up to 3 months after the event.

Thematic Sessions

An exploration of particular timely, innovative, and important questions in ecology, highlighting the integration of multiple disciplines. This year’s sessions cover:

• Hot topics in the Anthropocene: Emerging research in fire ecology
• Living laboratories – The nexus between research and practice
• Risks and opportunities from novel land uses and seascape changes
• The three-dimensional data revolution in ecology
• New perspectives on plant-people-pollinator interactions in cities
• Beyond green and blue: Biodiversity as a health resource
• Regenerative agriculture – a win-win approach for food security and environmental sustainability?
• Equity in international ecological research

These sessions are available to watch live or on catch-up for up to 3 months after the event.

Online pre-conference Early Careers Day (6 December)

New to a career related to ecology? We are hosting a series of talks and workshops on key career development topics including skills workshops and talks useful to anyone starting their career journey in the ecological sector. The Early Careers Day will cover topics such as:

• Careers Outside of Academia
• Tips on Handling Imposter Syndrome and Networking 
• Getting Published – Royal Society 
• Graphic Design – BES Publications Team 
• Grants Writing – BES Grants Team 

Our Early Careers Day will run virtually from 13:00-17:00 (GMT), Wednesday 6 December. A full agenda will be available ahead of time allowing you to choose the sessions you’re interested in.

This event is free to attend for Annual Meeting delegates but pre-registration is required. You can register when booking your ticket for the conference, or later via your MyBES account. A zoom link will be circulated closer to the time for those who have registered.

Speed Networking

Speed networking offers a fantastic opportunity to get to know your fellow virtual delegates in an informal setting. Sessions are scheduled to accommodate virtual delegates from different time zones.

Grow your global network online at BES2023!