Webbläsaren som du använder stöds inte av denna webbplats. Alla versioner av Internet Explorer stöds inte längre, av oss eller Microsoft (läs mer här: * https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/windows/end-of-ie-support).

Var god och använd en modern webbläsare för att ta del av denna webbplats, som t.ex. nyaste versioner av Edge, Chrome, Firefox eller Safari osv.

27

aug

Grand Seminar: Nature’s Alarms — Connecting Biodiversity Loss to Preparedness and Societal Safety

27 augusti 2026 08:30 till 15:30 | Seminarium
Cows on a pasture
Foto: Anna Maria Erling

In times when accelerating biodiversity loss and the looming risk of ecosystem collapse emerge as direct threats to national security, food systems, and global stability - societies are confronted with an urgent dilemma: how to respond immediately to escalating crises while also building long-term resilience for a rapidly changing future.

Recent assessments by both Swedish and international intelligence and academia warn that collapsing ecosystems could trigger resource scarcity, price shocks, and geopolitical instability within just a few years, underscoring how deeply local vulnerabilities are tied to global environmental decline. Against this backdrop, this seminar explores how we can connect biodiversity loss to crisis preparedness and societal safety by examining:

  • how our research can better inform both “action now” and long-term strategies
  • how to understand societal risks from local communities to global systems
  • where critical system vulnerabilities lie
  • why policy responses so often address symptoms rather than underlying global drivers

Through cross-sector dialogue, we aim to strengthen the connection between scientific insight and real-world needs in a time of profound ecological and societal disruption. 

Registration

Registration closed.

Programme

08:30 Coffee and registration

9:00 Welcome and aim of the seminar  
Moderator: Therese Ek, Lund University

09:20-10:00 Keynote: Do we understand the scale of the challenges? 
Richard Walters, Lund University: Status of biodiversity and the risk of ecosystem collapse

10:00 Coffee break  

10:30 Panel: Consequences of biodiversity loss - critical system vulnerabilities across sectors and scales  

Moderator: Hugo Malm, County Administrative Board Skåne 

  • Fredrik NG Andersson, Lund University 
  • Pål Börjesson, Lund University, LTH 
  • Lina Eklund, Lund University  
  • Jesica Lopéz, Nature Development Company 
  • Henrik Smith, Lund University

11:50-13:20 Lunch with group discussion 
What can research contribute with – and when?

13:20-14:30 Short talks: Actions now versus long-term resilience, local versus global  

Moderator: Therese Ek

  • Security in creeping crises  
    Magnus Ekengren, Swedish defense University
  • Civil Defence and Natural hazards
    Ulrika Postgård, Swedish Civil Defence and Resilience Agency  
  • Food systems preparedness   
    Emma Nohrén, Swedish Green Party and Chair of The Committee on Environment and Agriculture
  • Addressing symptoms not drivers: Why is policy often reactive?  
    Åsa Knaggård, Lund University 

14:30-15:30 Concluding dialogue: From tensions to takeaways  

Moderator: Hugo Malm, County Administrative Board Skåne 

  • Magnus Ekengren, Swedish Defense University
  • Ulrika Postgård, Swedish Civil Defence and Resilience Agency 
  • Richard Walters, Lund University
  • Emma Nohrén, Swedish Green Party and Chair of The Committee on Environment and Agriculture
  • Åsa Knaggård, Lund University 

Om evenemanget

Plats:

Lund, AF-Borgen, Gustafscenen or online (for viewing only)

Inträde:

Gratis inträde

Målgrupp:

Researchers and societal actors engaged in, or affected by, these issues

Språk:

English

Kontakt:

josefin [dot] madjidian [at] mgeo [dot] lu [dot] se