Focali Annual Meeting 2026 – A Mutirão for Forests, Climate and Livelihoods
The rallying call for a global mutirão – by Brazil for the world to embrace the spirit of collective action - is one of the strong takeaways from COP30, the first climate COP in the Amazon. Rooted in Indigenous practices across South America, a mutirão is a collective effort when a community comes together and everyone rolls up their sleeves to tackle shared challenges. This call inspires, ignites constructive hope and corresponds well with the Focali community spirit of coming together to enhance knowledge and joint action on intertwined and increasing global challenges. Our network is a trusted knowledge partner, offering an evidence-based space for exchange across disciplines, sectors and regions. We now invite our members, partners, friends and neighbors to the Focali annual meeting 2026 – a mutirão for Forests, Climate, Biodiversity and Livelihoods.
The program of the annual meeting has been developed around options for action in a rapidly changing world, based on what our members, partners, friends and neighbors will bring to this mutirão – new ideas and topics as well as issues related to current Focali workstreams, collaborations and windows for research–policy–practice dialogues. The first day will be an open full-day symposium with keynotes, roundtables and sessions drawn from submitted contributions and talks. On the following day, sleeves will be rolled up even higher to transform ideas and research into new collaborations, enhanced capacity and greater joint action to face current challenges in our field.
Register to attend the annual meeting
Times:
April 16, 9.30 – 17.00 at the World Culture Museum in Gothenburg, joint dinner at own cost
April 17, 9.00 – 14:00 (internal sessions for Focali members and collaborators - let us know if you want to discuss collaborations ahead)
Draft Agenda - Main day April 16
Focali annual meeting day 1 at Museum of World Culture in Gothenburg
See list of all confirmed speakers below the agenda.
9.30 Registration and coffee
10.00 Welcome to this mutirão – the Focali annual meeting 2026
10.05 Opening talks: Forest, food and livelihood dynamics - at global and household levels
Rafaela Flach, Research Fellow, Stockholm Environment Institute
Climate and ecosystem service benefits of forests and trees for agriculture (talk based on new FAO, SEI, CI, NC report)
Arild Angelsen, Professor at School of Economics and Business, Norwegian University of Life Sciences
How does local forest reliance affect deforestation rates?
10.35 SESSION 1: Tropical forests regions - current trends, developments and policy in a multidisciplinary spotlight
A journey with Focali experts to the Amazon, Congo basin, Indonesia and beyond
To open this session a short intro on the biophysical roles of forests in the three main regions in focus will be presented by Agnes Pranindita followed by a brief overview of deforestation drivers and trends presented by Martin Persson. Thereafter Agnes and Martin will invite other experts from the Focali research network and partners to share and discuss current social-ecological trends and developments in these regions and prospects for reducing pressures and forests and promote more resilient and equitable conservation and policy outcomes at regional and country level as Colombia, Brazil, Indonesia, Ethiopia and DRC.
Intro-talks by session leads:
Agnes Pranindita, Postdoc Stockholm Resilience Centre, SRC
Martin Persson, Professor, Chalmers University of Technology
Panelists:
Mairon G. Bastos Lima, Senior Research Fellow, Stockholm Environment Institute, SEI
Raymond Achu Samndong, MEL Manager, Tenure Facility
Meley Mekonen Rannestad, Researcher, NMBU
Arild Angelsen, Professor at School of Economics and Business, NMBU
Malte Ladewig, Independent Researcher and research associate with NMBU
11.45 Welcoming our partners, supporters, friends and neighbors to the annual meeting (and partner pitch x 3)
As SIANI, SLU Global, SLU, LUCSUS, Chalmers, GU, SRC, SEI, Sida Unit for research cooperation, Sida helpdesk for environment and climate change, GGBC, Wexsus, Formas, NMBU, Tenure Facility, Swedbio and all other participants
Group photo
12.00 Lunch - at the venue at own cost (160sek) as event fee
12.05 Welcome to afternoon sessions
The future we choose - in social-ecological policy, practice and science
Speed-talk by Axel Eriksson, PhD student at Stockholm Resilience Centre and University of Lisbon and part of UN Secretary-General's Youth Advisory Group on Climate Change (via link)
13.15 SESSION 2: Restoration from global goals to local contexts and visions for the future
Talks and panel discussion with:
Anna Ioannou, Specialist with the Forest and Landscape Restoration Mechanism of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
Harry Fischer, Associate Professor, Department of Forest Ecology and Management, SLU
Anders Stålhand, Process leader for work on biodiversity, Region Västra Götaland
Rosa Goodman, Development leader for Center for Nature Restoration, Naturbruksförvaltningen, Region Västra Götaland
Laura Marlene Kmoch, Research Associate, Social-Ecological Interactions in Agricultural Systems, University of Göttingen and University of Kassel, Germany
Moderation and support: Harry Fischer and Anna-Klara Lindeborg International Research Advisor SLU Global.
14.00 Parallel session and roundtables
SESSION 3: Social dimensions in biodiversity research, policy and practice
Speed-talks:
Binod Adhikari, PhD student at the Department of Urban and Rural Development, SLU, and Researcher from the Southasia Institute of Advanced Studies (SIAS), Nepal, Rethinking conservation in the farming landscape: How can we (re)connect smallholder farming and Biodiversity conservation in the Himalayan mountains?
Annie James, Independent Scholar (formerly Autonomous University of Barcelona) Conservation By Alienation: Koliwadi Forest Estrangement in Maharashtra, India
Ana Carolina Marciano, Programme officer Swedbio, SRC, Applying a Human Rights Based Approach in biodiversity policy and practice
Hanna Ekström Pigot, Doctoral student, Department of Political Science and Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Lund university, Social dimensions of forest biodiversity - Swedish forest owners as a case
Moderator and support: Thomas Daum Associate Professor at the School of Global Studies, University of Gothenburg and Maria Ölund Focali Project Manager
Q&A and discussion
Roundtables in parallel room (approx.14 -15 timing of these roundtables might change)
Table 1) Achieving equitable and deforestation-free tropical landscapes
Table 2) Evidence based environmental integration in Swedish development cooperation: Engagement with Sida's Helpdesk
15.00 Coffee break and Matchmaking interested in a new Focali work stream on Swedish forest issues
Session and in parallel two open roundtables for networking, new collaborations and work streams
15.25 SESSION 4: Participatory action research and weaving knowledges with IPLCs
In this session we present practical experiences and examples on decolonial research methods. We start by screening a short movie called “Re-existences. Body, Art and Spirituality in defence of life” based on the work of Valentina Lomanto in Colombia, followed by two short presentations from Torsten Krause and Margareta Nilsson before moving into a discussion on, for instance ethical principles, practical, methodological and theoretical challenges and recommendations for decolonial and truly inclusive and participatory research with Indigenous and local communities.
Valentina Lomanto Perdomo, PhD student, Lund University Centre for Sustainability Studies, LUCSUS
Carlos Alberto Hernandez Vélez, PhD student, LUCSUS
Torsten Krause, Associate Professor and Deputy Director, LUCSUS
Margareta Nilsson, Senior Learning Officer, The Tenure Facility and MA Forest Ecology
16.25 A Focali mutirão – how can we build stronger alliances for greater impact ahead
16.50 End of first day
Confirmed speakers / panelists in alphabetical order
Agnes Pranindita, Postdoc Stockholm Resilience Centre, SRC
Ana Carolina Marciano, Programme officer Swedbio, Stockholm Resilience Centre
Anders Stålhand, Process leader for work on biodiversity, Region Västra Götaland
Anna Ioannou, Specialist with the Forest and Landscape Restoration Mechanism of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
Annie James, Independent Scholar, formerly at Autonomous University of Barcelona - Institute of Environmental Science and Technology
Arild Angelsen, Professor at School of Economics and Business, Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU)
Axel Eriksson, PhD student at Stockholm Resilience Centre and University of Lisbon and part of UN Secretary-General's Youth Advisory Group on Climate Change
Binod Adhikari, PhD student at the Department of Urban and Rural Development, SLU and Researcher from the South Asia Institute of Advanced Studies, Kathmandu, Nepal
Hanna Ekström Pigot, Doctoral student, Department of Political Science and Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Lund university
Harry Fischer, Associate Professor, Department of Forest Ecology and Management, SLU
Laura Marlene Kmoch, Research Associate, Social-Ecological Interactions in Agricultural Systems, University of Göttingen and University of Kassel, Germany
Linda Hansson, Sida's Helpdesk for Environment and Climate Change at Wexsus, University of Gothenburg
Mairon G. Bastos Lima, Senior Research Fellow, Stockholm Environment Institute, SEI
Malte Ladewig, Independent Researcher and research associate with NMBU
Margareta Nilsson, Senior Learning Officer, The Tenure Facility and MA Forest Ecology
Maria Ölund, Project Manager Focali research network and Focali – SIANI collaboration at Wexsus, University of Gothenburg
Martin Persson, Professor, Physical Resource Theory, Chalmers University of Technology
Meley Mekonen Rannestad, Researcher, Forestry and Renewable Energy Section, Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU)
Mikael Östblom, Project coordinator, Bee-Go, Gothenburg Global Biodiversity Centre, University of Gothenburg
Kristina Roing de Nowina, PhD Senior Research Advisor, Department for global operations/Unit for research cooperation, GLOBALA/FORSK at Sida
Rafaela Flach, Research Fellow, Stockholm Environment Institute, SEI
Raymond Achu Samndong, Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning Manager, Tenure Facility
Rosa Goodman, Development leader for Center for Nature Restoration, Naturbruksförvaltningen, Region Västra Götaland
Torsten Krause, Deputy Director, Lund University Centre for Sustainability Studies, LUCSUS
Valentina Lomanto Perdomo, PhD student, Lund University Centre for Sustainability Studies, LUCSUS
Open call for ideas and talks:
The call for contributions and talk is now closed. Welcome to connect with the Focali network manager Maria Ölund to bounce any ideas and contributions you may have for the meeting, the network and news collaborations maria.olund@gu.se
Co-arrangers and invited participants:
The Focali annual meeting will be arranged in collaboration by the Focali secretariat, advisory group, members as well as partners and the Focali – SIANI collaboration. After two annual meetings held in Stockholm, as Focali2025, this annual meeting mutirão will be held in Gothenburg. Anyone active in research, policy or practice within the Focali focus areas are welcome to join the open day of the annual meeting. This meeting is in-person only and Focali does not have the capacity to support travel costs of participants. Other activities as webinars and events outside Sweden will be arranged 2026.
Mutirão - theme inspiration:
Inspiration to the theme of this annual meeting emerged from discussions held at the webinar Focali co-arranged after COP30 in Brazil, the recording can be re-watched on the Focali you tube and reflections from members who participated in Belém are available here. In these times with rising challenges at different levels calling for a mutirão, where the Focali community and new friends come together and roll up our sleeves to develop new alliances and joint action ahead, is greatly needed. We hope that this can contribute to mutually beneficial collaborations for all involved and greater impact on shared global challenges.
Past annual meetings:
Read about the last annual meeting held in Stockholm inMarch 2025 here and re-watch talks on the Focali you tube.
Hear what Focali members and partners share about the value of Focali in this video from the 2023 annual meeting.
Photos above from the 2025 annual meeting by Maria Ölund