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The VII World Conference on Marine Biodiversity will be hosted by the Flanders Marine Institute of Belgium in 2026.
We are thrilled to invite you to the seventh edition of the World Conference on Marine Biodiversity, which will be held from November 17-20th 2026 (WCMB 2026).
The World Conference has always travelled, and after fifteen years, it will again be hosted in Europe. Your local organizing institute is the Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ), and the Conference will take place in the historical city of Bruges (Belgium).
In the same tradition of previous editions, the 2026 World Conference on Marine Biodiversity will once again be a major assembly opportunity to share research outcomes, management and policy topics, offer a platform to discuss current as well as emerging marine biodiversity issues, and identify ways to protect and sustainably manage marine ecosystems and their resources. The conference will bring together scientists, practitioners and policy makers, aiming to discuss and advance our understanding of the importance, past, current and future state of marine biodiversity.
The seventh edition of the World Conference will fly the UN Ocean Decade flag, as it has been endorsed as a UN Ocean Decade Event. The overall theme of the Conference is “The marine biodiversity insights we need, for the ocean we want”. As the Conference will take place a little over halfway through the UN Ocean Decade, it will provide an excellent opportunity to take stock of ongoing actions and initiatives, but also evaluate what still needs to be tackled by the end of the Decade.
Want to stay informed about the World Conference on Marine Biodiversity 2026? Check out the website at www.wcmb2026.org.
We’re very much looking forward to welcoming you in 2026!
Leen Vandepitte
On behalf of the VLIZ local organizing committee
Download the approved bid proposal for the VII WCMB conference in Bruges.
The VI World Conference on Marine Biodiversity was recently held in Penang, Malaysia, on July 2-5 of 2023 and hosted by the Centre for Marine & Coastal Studies (CEMACS) of Universiti Sains Malaysian.
Download the approved bid proposal for the VI WCMB conference in Penang.
