Events
Events at GGBC bring biodiversity science to a wider audience within and outside of academia. Follow us on social media and sign up for the GGBC newsletter to never miss a GGBC event.
Annual Biodiversity Lecture
The GGBC hosts one major lecture on biodiversity every year. This event is intended for both our members and the general public. This annual event brings a high-profile biodiversity researcher or researchers to Gothenburg to engage the public and encourage enthusiasm for the natural world.
This event is partially funded by the strategic research area Biodiversity and Ecosystem services in a Changing Climate (BECC).
2026
Professor Anne Sverdrup-Thygeson of the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), was our 2026 guest lecturer and her lecture was hosted at Universium as part of the Gothenburg Science Festival ( Vetenskapsfestivalen Göteborg).
Anne delivered an inspiring lecture titled 'What secrets of nature are sustaining our lives—and what happens if we push nature too far?' taking us on a journey into nature’s extraordinary diversity. We explored how species interact, why even the tiniest and most unseen organisms are essential to our survival, and the hidden worlds quietly working to keep our ecosystems alive.
2025
Den årliga föreläsningen om biologisk mångfald år 2025 handlade om huruvida människan kan leva ett gott liv inom planetens gränser genom att lära sig av naturens egna geniala lösningar. Biologen Dr Fredrik Moberg guidade publiken genom området biomimik och visade hur naturens enorma mångfald har inspirerat till kreativa lösningar på dagens klimat- och hållbarhetsutmaningar.
Moberg, som leder organisationen Albaeco och är knuten till Stockholm Resilience Centre, drog nytta av sin erfarenhet som forskare, kommunikatör och författare till böckerna 'The Inventive Planet' (2021) och 'The Planet of Corals' (2024).
2024
Gothenburg Global Biodiversity Centre Annual Biodiversity Lecture 2025 'Emerging, traditional or invisible biodiversity values: the quest to become aware', was delivered by Rector Brigitte Baptiste Brigitte Baptiste
The Lecture was streamed live from Natirum, University of Gothenburg, where Brigitte, world-renowned ecologist, peacemaker, and trailblazer, took us on a journey to explore how we value nature and how we can harness that to address the biodiversity crisis.
Please note there were no 2022 & 2023 GGBC Annual Biodiversity Lectures
2021
Gothenburg Global Biodiversity Centre Annual Biodiversity Lecture 2021, "Rewilding: revitalising conservation for the 21st century", was delivered by Dr Paul Jepson.
The term rewilding was coined in the 90's and while most of us are familiar with the terms conservation or restoration, rewilding has only relatively recently begun to receive broader attention. Paul is author of ‘Rewilding: the radical new science of ecosystem recovery’ which has been well received in the field.
During the lecture Paul explained not only what rewilding is and how it has been implemented, but also how it creates eco-enterprise opportunities.
Paul worked for the School of Geography and the Environment at University of Oxford before moving to Ecosulis, a conservation organisation specialising in rewilding. He was furthermore contributing his expertise as a former member of supervisory board for Rewilding Europe.
The lecture was streamed live from the Oxford Museum of Natural History and can be watched on GGBC's YouTube channel.
2020
In 2020 the GGBC and the WIN WIN Gothenburg Sustainability Award hosted the GGBC Annual Biodiversity Lecture featuring IPBES! Dr. Anne Larigauderie, Executive Secretary of IPBES and Prof. Sandra Diaz, Co-chair of the IPBES Global Assessment spoke about biodiversity, humanity’s threat to it and what is needed to shift current trends.
2019
In 2019, Marc Abrahams, the founder of the Ig Nobel Prize, spoke together with Prof. Susanne Åkesson from Lund University. Their two lectures revolved around the Ig Nobel prize and the research that Susanne Åkesson was awarded the physics prize in 2016.
2018
In 2018 the GGBC held its inaugural biodiversity lecture. It was delivered by Peter and Rosemary Grant, famed evolutionary biologists working on “Darwin’s finches” in the Galapagos. The event took place on November 20th at the Wallenberg Conference Centre.
International Day for Biological Diversity
At the GGBC we always celebrate the International Day for Biological Diversity, or Biodiversity Day. Since 2024 we have co-hosted a Bioblitz in Gothenburg. This year the event was held on Sunday, 24th May, at Torpadammen in Gothenburg which brought together 1500 people in the form of researchers, students, and the public to explore local biodiversity through citizen science. Throughout the day, participants documented species observations using iNaturalist, contributing valuable biodiversity data while learning directly from experts in the field.
A big thank you to everyone who contributed their time, expertise, curiosity, and observations throughout the day and we look forward to seeing you next year!
International Day for Biological Diversity 2022
Professor Dave Goulson Lecture - Hylla myllet
In 2022, we organised a lecture with Professor Dave Goulson to mark the International Day for Biological Diversity. The lecture was part of a series of seminars on pollinating insects, biodiversity and the importance of conserving our ecosystems, entitled ‘Hylla myllret’ (loosely translated from Swedish as ‘celebrate the bustle’).
The lecture was about insects, with a focus on pollinators, their importance to us humans and, above all, to our ecosystems.
International Day for Biological Diversity 2021
A botanist’s picnic
In 2021, GGBC members Stina Westrand and Åsa Krüger created a video to spark an interest in botany.
Whilst enjoying a coffee and cake, they showed us some common Swedish species that you, your family and your friends can find in the forest and easily recognise. Learn more about the species in our natural world! What do blueberry flowers look like up close? What’s hiding in the green foliage? Can you tell what sort of tree it is just by looking at the buds?
You’ll also get loads of tips (including plenty of book recommendations) on what you need to take with you for a successful botanical outing. But for goodness’ sake, don’t forget your fika!
Dave Lecture - International Day of Biodiversity 2022
Swedish Biodiversity Symposium
The Swedish Biodiversity Symposium is a science-policy interface-orientated forum for communication, dissemination, and discussion of science-based knowledge on biodiversity. It provides an opportunity to gain new perspectives, learn from each other, and engage in networking and collaboration. The first symposium was held in Gothenburg in October 2025, where GGBC was involved in the planning and organisation of the conference. The next is planned 17-19 October 2027 in Uppsala.
