Parallel to COP30, an international conference on systemic sustainability will take place from November 13 to 16, 2025, at the Federal University of Pará (UFPA) in Belém, with an accompanying technical excursion. Organizers include the UFPA, the Leibniz Lab ‘Systemic Sustainability’, and three UNESCO Chairs from Portugal, Japan, and Germany.
The conference was conceptualized and organized by UFPA, the Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research (ZMT) and the Leibniz Institute for Agricultural Engineering and Bioeconomy (ATB), with contributions from the Leibniz Institute for Global and Area Studies (GIGA), the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), the Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF) and the Leibniz Institute of Ecological Urban and Regional Development (IOER).
In lectures, panels, and interactive formats, researchers, students, and representatives from politics, business, and civil society will discuss issues relating to biodiversity, agriculture, fisheries, and food systems.
Sessions organized by ZMT and ATB is dedicated to the role of innovation in the sustainable transformation of food systems.
Under the motto “Use the Invader,” researchers will show how the invasive lionfish on the northern coast of Brazil can be used as a local food source – a contribution to the management of invasive species and at the same time a research focus of Lena Knopp and Marion Glaser (ZMT).
The second topic, “From Waste to Value,” explores circular economy concepts in agriculture and food production, such as converting organic waste into high-quality protein or fertilizer using insects – a research focus at the ATB, represented by Luma Rossi Ribeiro.
In a panel organized by the Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF) and the Leibniz Institute for Global and Area Studies (GIGA), experiences from regional projects will be presented that demonstrate pathways to climate-resilient agricultural systems worldwide.
Several discussion rounds led by the UNESCO Chairs will address partnerships between science, education, and local communities, especially in biosphere reserves of the Amazon region.
The conference concludes with an excursion to the coastal region around Bragança, where participants will visit local research institutions, fisheries, and sustainable resource use initiatives – a hands-on example of systemic sustainability.
Participating Leibniz Institutes from the Leibniz Lab for Systemic Sustainability:
- ATB – Leibniz Institute for Agricultural Engineering and Bioeconomy, Potsdam
- GIGA – Leibniz Institute for Global and Area Studies, Hamburg
- IÖR – Leibniz Institute of Ecological Urban and Regional Development, Dresden
- IWM – Leibniz-Institut für Wissensmedien, Tübingen
- PIK – Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, Potsdam
- ZALF – Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research, Müncheberg
- ZMT – Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research, Bremen
The conference program on Systemic Sustainability is [available here as a PDF for download].