Student Conference on Conservation Science 2024

by Saltanat Saduakas

Last week, I had the opportunity to attend The Student Conference on Conservation Science (SCCS Europe 2024), which took place in Balatonvilágos, Hungary from 10 to 14 September. The Safeguard-supported event brought together researchers and students from across Eastern and Western Europe to connect and share knowledge in the field of Conservation Biology.

The conference began with inspiring plenary talks, and one of the standout presentations was by Yann Clough from Lund University, who discussed the pollinator-mediated effects of landscape-scale land use on plant communities. Following this, we had insightful student sessions and two engaging workshops. The first, led by Costanza Geppert from Università degli Studi di Padova, focused on biodiversity conservation priorities, particularly for pollinators, where participants exchanged experiences on conservation priorities and discussed stakeholder perspectives on pollinators. The workshop was an excellent platform for early-career conservation biologists like myself to explore real-world conservation challenges. The second workshop, conducted by Deepa Senepathi from the University of Reading, was centered on translating scientific research into effective policy and communication materials.

After the conference, I participated in a post-conference excursion to Balaton Uplands National Park, where we explored the region's diverse flora and avifauna. I also had the chance to present my talk on "Impact of grazing livestock on grassland shorebirds in Hortobágy National Park", which was a rewarding experience.