Recap and videos from the Focali annual meeting – bridging diverse knowledges in turbulent times
The Focali annual meeting days 2025 held earlier this year was an important opportunity to get together in challenging times. The high number and diverse backgrounds of participants (and their reluctance to even break up from the discussions for lunch) showed the strong interest by our members, partners and friends to engage in vibrant knowledge exchange, discussions about the turbulent times we are in and how we can navigate together ahead in new forms of collaborations to keep up the crucial research – policy – practice interface.
Focali ended the first open day with a small celebration of the (postponed) 15-year anniversary of the network initiated already 2008. In stormy times, we perhaps more than ever understand the value of strong networks and spaces for exchange and collaborations. Open dialogues and genuine interest to listen, learn and relearn in safe spaces between research, policy, private actors, media and civil society should be valued not taken for granted. As Focali member Mairon Bastos Lima have expressed the importance of Focali: “Resilient networks that are sustained over a long period of time outlives the shorter project cycles. Policies also tend to come back over time but packaged and labelled in new ways, a network with historical memory of these cycles over time can build on past experiences, knowledge and connections to not reinvent the wheel…”
With most of the key global land-use and livelihood challenges within the Focali focus areas remaining over time while new dimensions, changing geo-politics, governance and innovations are added both the historical memory and new perspectives are needed to sustain and develop the network, knowledge developments and what to focus on ahead. Focali are thus grateful to all, old and new friends, who joined the annual meeting and contributed with their knowledges and ideas on how to move forward to enhance our joint impact. What Focali do and the value of the network for different actors was shared in the introduction of the annual meeting via a video with members and partners. Clarisse Kehler Siebert Senior Policy Advisor at the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, interviewed in the video from the last annual meeting, shared that for her in her work; “which is policy based on sound research it’s important to have this type of interdisciplinary grounding in order to make good policy decisions and positions.” The mission of Focali to bridge not only intertwined themes and disciplines but also the diversity of perspectives, knowledges, voices and path in this landscape was shared in one image by Maria Ölund the Project Manager of Focali to set the aim for the rest of the days of interactions.
Speed talks and research-policy sessions on Focali work streams under development were presented by members involved. This as a new informal way to get members and partners together for focused research – policy – practice exchanges and collaborations. Read more about the work streams on the Focali website, stay tuned for more updates or connect if you want to get involved or contribute to set up other work streams ahead.
The main policy process in focus for this annual meeting was “a journey from Cali to Belém” where two representatives Malte Timpte and Linn Appelgren from the Swedish CBD delegation and Pernilla Malmer one of the co-chairs shared outcomes from the Biodiversity COP16 in Cali and COP16 Resumed in Rome. In a video interview conducted at the annual meeting with Malte Timpte, Senior advisor for International Biodiversity Policy at the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, he expressed how it was to pick up the negotiations at the resumed session in Rome after the stalled negotiations in Cali where they left the negotiations with tensions in the room: “We had a couple of issues that were tricky, that we needed to solve but [in Rome] we were able to sit around the table with the partners that we might have political conflicts with on a lot of questions, not only environmental, but globally. I think Rome was a really good exercise to show that we still can work together. We can talk to each other - that was the big message from Rome” Looking ahead towards COP17 in Armenia 2026 all countries and actors need to do their homework and not only talk about how to safeguard and restore biodiversity but create conditions to do it.
How to use science-based advice to address such complex intertwined challenges was addressed by two other speakers in this session, Nadia Sitas and Stephen Woroniecki, spotlighting two new IPBES reports they have been involved in as co-authors. The Nexus Assessment exploring the interlinkages between crises in biodiversity, water, food, health, and climate change, and the Transformative Change Assessment focusing on underlying drivers of biodiversity loss and the system-wide changes needed to address them.
A world café discussion was held on how Focali can contribute to tackling intertwined challenges. To conclude the day a horizon scanning panel was moderated by Focali member Torsten Krause to look ahead towards Climate COP30 in Belém, taking place in the Brazilian Amazon, where several Focali members are participating.
Based on the evident strong interest and need for deepened and continued bridging across these intertwined challenges, policy processes and sectors, Focali now strives to level up our capacity and co-developed methods for enhanced knowledge-based decision-making, policy development, and practice for more sustainable, resilient and inclusive developments. We welcome all to contribute on this shared journey ahead.
Welcome to connect to discuss how to contribute to, benefit from and strengthen our joint network as well as existing and new partnerships!
Recordings, program and photos from the 2025 annual meeting:
Take part of more via the links below to videos, agenda and speakers. Most parts of the open day of the Focali annual meeting 2025 were recorded and some of the talks and sessions are available to watch on the Focali YouTube in a video playlist from the 2025 annual meeting. Day 2 of the Focali annual meeting held the day after this open day, was an internal day held by and for Focali members held at SEI to develop the Focali work streams and other ideas for collaborations within the network and for future development of Focali. If you are interested to become a member in the Focali research network welcome to connect with maria.olund@gu.se
Acknowledgements: Recording, video editing and some of the photos below by Enno Ladwig at Sustainalists. Mobile images by Focali members and Maria Ölund. The Focali annual meeting was held back-to-back with the SIANI 2025 annual meeting and in collaboration with and support from the the Focali - SIANI collaboration and the SIANI team. A special thanks to Focali member Laura Kmoch, Stephen Woroniecki, Torsten Krause, Harry Fischer, Agnes Pranindita for co-planning and/or co-moderation of the annual meeting activities and other support during the day by Lovisa Hast, Daniel Arancibia Holm, Maria Sköld, Jonna Wiklund and Ebba Ragnartz from the SIANI - SEI team.
