The 7th World Conference on Marine Biodiversity (WCMB 2026) will take place in Bruges, Belgium, from 17–20 November 2026, under the theme “The marine biodiversity insights we need, for the ocean we want”. Endorsed as a UN Ocean Decade Event, the conference will bring together scientists, policymakers, conservationists, and other stakeholders to assess progress and challenges halfway through the Ocean Decade.
Abstract submission is open from 30 September 2025 to 17 March 2026 (23:59 CET). Contributions are invited for oral and poster presentations across seven thematic areas, covering topics from biodiversity baselines and monitoring to taxonomy, digital oceans, science–policy interfaces, and engaging the next generation.
All theme and session information is available: here.
Key Requirements
- Title: Maximum 20 words
- Abstract: Minimum 250, maximum 350 words
- Keywords: 2 to 5 keywords
- Presentation types: Oral or Poster
- Session: Choose your preferred session from available sessions
- Authors: Include all contributing authors. Email, City, Country are required; ORCiD, Institution/Organization, State/Province, and mobile phone number are optional
- UN Ocean Decade: Indicate whether your abstract is related to a UN Ocean Decade programme or project
- PeerJ: Indicate if you would be interested in submitting the full version of this research to the WCMB Conference Collection, to be published by the PeerJ-IABO Hub
Find the abstract submission form: here.
WCMB 2026 is being organized by the Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ).