Thank you!

Dear SERE2024 Participants,

We want to extend our heartfelt thanks to each and every one of you for attending the 14th European Conference on Ecological Restoration here in Tartu. Your presence, enthusiasm, and excellence in knowledge-sharing made this event truly special and impactful.

We are proud, humbled and honored to have hosted 673 ecological restoration experts, practitioners, and policymakers from 47 countries, showcasing the global commitment to ecological restoration. Special thanks go to the 111 organizers of special sessions, the speakers of 390 oral presentations and 84 poster presentations, as well as the 31 incredible volunteers whose hard work made this conference run smoothly. Your contributions were essential to the success of SERE2024, and we deeply appreciate your efforts.

Over five conference days, we have shared valuable insights through 10 workshops, 25 excursions, and 36 sessions, covering a wide range of important topics in ecological restoration. We hope you are leaving with new knowledge, inspiration, and wonderful memories of your time in Estonia.

We are also proud to announce the "Tartu Declaration on the effective implementation of the EU Nature Restoration Law", created as part of this conference, which calls for urgent and coordinated action to restore nature. We invite everyone to read, share, and act on it. You can find the declaration here: Tartu Declaration of SERE2024. Let’s work together to make it happen!

We hope to see you at future SER and SERE events. Don’t forget to take a little bit of Estonia’s nature with you in spirit and keep the momentum going in your own restoration efforts!

With sincere gratitude,
Aveliina Helm, Triin Reitalu and the SERE2024 Organizing Team
Tartu, Estonia

The organisation of the conference is led by Landscape Biodiversity Workgroup (landscape.ut.ee) at the University of Tartu. Workgroup and the organisation of the conference is supported by the Estonian Science Foundation grant PRG874 "Landscape-scale biodiversity restoration and time-lags in ecosystem functions (RESTFUNC)" (link here) (01.01.2020−31.12.2024; Principal Investigator: Aveliina Helm).

The Society for Ecological Restoration (SER) is a global organisation dedicated to promoting the science, practice, and policy of ecological restoration to protect biodiversity, improve adaptation to climate change, mitigate its effects, and restore a healthy relationship between nature and society.

The European Chapter of the Society (SERE) brings together members from 37 countries. SERE operates as a 'network of networks', collaborating with national restoration organisations across Europe to advance science-based approaches and best practices in ecological restoration.