image: Three mountain burnets, a moth species, along with many different plant species, all in a very small space in the Swiss Alps.
Credit: Gabriela Schaepman-Strub, University of Zurich
The loss of biological diversity is one of the greatest challenges of our time. At the fourth World Biodiversity Forum in Davos, leading biodiversity researchers are joining participants from politics, business, civil society and the arts to develop a common approach for biodiversity protection.
The fourth World Biodiversity Forum (WBF2026) kicks off in Davos on 15 June 2026. Organized by the University of Zurich (UZH), the event brings together more than 1,100 participants from over 70 countries. The question at the heart of the event is how biodiversity loss can be halted and reversed by 2030, as set out in the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework of the United Nations.
This year’s theme is Leading Transformation Together, which reflects the importance of dialogue and collaboration between biodiversity researchers, policymakers, business leaders and representatives from civil society and the arts. “We cover every conceivable topic related to biodiversity,” says Gabriela Schaepman-Strub, a UZH Earth system scientist who chairs the forum. “This includes medical, ecological, economic, ethical, and legal issues, as well as the implementation of global goals, translational methods, and interactions with artists.”
Translational collaboration
The draft of the first Global Biodiversity Report has just been released. It will be the focal point of the next UN Biodiversity Conference in Yerevan, Armenia, this October. A total of 130 countries – including Switzerland – submitted national reports to be included in the document. “The UN’s global framework has led to an unprecedented level of commitment worldwide to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030. However, neither the world nor Switzerland is currently on track to meet that deadline,” warns Schaepman-Strub.
What’s needed now, she says, are sustainable visions for the future and effective measures. “We need to work across different fields and sectors. And at the same time, we need more activity at the intersection between science, policy and business,” says the scientist. Schaepman-Strub has high hopes for deeper cooperation with the private sector and financial markets, as companies are increasingly confronted with their dependencies on the natural world.
Growing awareness
Much of the economic growth achieved to date has relied on ecosystem services that were long taken for granted and treated as free of charge: clean air, fresh water, fertile soils, food, raw building materials, climate regulation and protection from disease. Beyond these, nature also provides less tangible benefits, such as the mental and physical renewal people draw from the natural world.
“Although the current armed conflicts make it even harder to protect biodiversity, awareness of its importance is growing among both the general public and the business world. If we continue to sacrifice biodiversity for short-term economic gains, or allow it to be destroyed by armed conflict, we will end up undermining the foundation of our economy and prosperity,” says Schaepman-Strub.
The central role of science
Biodiversity science plays a pivotal role in this process. Not only does it supply the data and methods needed to develop effective, socially accepted measures, but it also independently verifies whether those measures actually contribute to reversing biodiversity loss. “We need to demonstrate the concrete benefits that private and public sector investment deliver for biodiversity, and how they reduce the risks of biodiversity loss,” says Schaepman-Strub. The WBF2026 program also devotes significant attention to this area – specifically to consolidating methods for measuring biodiversity and standardizing biodiversity indicators. “This allows us to make comparable measurements anywhere in the world,” explains Schaepman-Strub.
World Biodiversity Forum 2026: a brief overview
Date: 14–19 June 2026
Place: Congress center Davos
Theme: «Leading Transformation Together»
Organization: Universität Zürich
10 thematic tracks:
- Biodiversity–ecosystem functioning
- From measurements to biodiversity indicators and impact metrics
- Biodiversity nexus - interlinkage of biodiversity with water, food, health, and climate change
- Futures of biodiversity and approaches to envision, predict, achieve these futures
- Biodiversity, economic risks and finance
- Legislation and biodiversity
- Implementing and achieving the GBF goals and targets
- Transformative change, reconnecting with nature and the role of Indigenous Peoples
- Connecting science, society and practice
- Arts and culture for biodiversity