The New Zealand Ecological Society (NZES) and Society for Conservation Biology Oceania (SCBO) will hold their joint 2026 conference in Auckland, New Zealand, from November 30 to December 4, 2026. The conference theme is “Changing the conversation - Ecology in a shifting political landscape.”

This symposium will bring together researchers, practitioners, government agencies, and Indigenous knowledge holders from across Oceania to examine how transport systems influence biodiversity and ecological processes. The session will focus on how ecological knowledge can better inform transport planning, design, operations, and decision-making.

Building on recent collaboration through the Australasian Network for Ecology and Transportation, the symposium will highlight emerging research and applied practice that support better biodiversity outcomes across transport and other linear infrastructure landscapes. Contributions are invited on topics such as biodiversity mitigation and restoration, habitat connectivity, fragmentation, risk assessment, noise and artificial light impacts on fauna, biodiversity-sensitive transport planning, and ecological management during emergency works.

The symposium also welcomes case studies from transport and other linear infrastructure projects where ecological impacts and management responses are comparable. Overall, the session aims to share applied outcomes, transferable lessons, and cross-jurisdictional insights that can help address key evidence gaps in transport-related biodiversity management.

Abstract deadline: August 12, 2026