The Alternet Summer School will return from 19–29 August 2026 in the mountain village of Peyresq, France, bringing together PhD candidates, early career researchers, and professionals to examine one of the most pressing challenges of our time: the relationship between biodiversity and society.
Organised in cooperation with Biodiversa+, the 2026 edition is titled “Biodiversity and society: transforming science and policy.” The programme is designed to foster transdisciplinary dialogue at the interface of ecological science, social science, and policy-making. Set in the remote and historically preserved mountaintop town of Peyresq, the Summer School provides an immersive environment for critical reflection, collaborative learning, and intellectual exchange.
Global biodiversity is declining at unprecedented rates, with profound consequences for ecosystems and human well-being. Against this backdrop, the Summer School addresses biodiversity management and conservation through a systemic lens, focusing on the drivers of biodiversity loss and the integration of ecological knowledge with social science approaches. Participants will engage with socio-ecological systems thinking and explore pathways for transformative change in multifunctional landscapes, where competing values and stakeholder interests must be reconciled.
The programme combines lectures with interactive formats, including field trips, collaborative group projects, and participant-led discussions. A defining feature of the Summer School is the integration of participants’ own research topics into the learning process, creating a reflexive and co-creative academic setting.
“At the Alternet Summer School, it’s amazing to see the change in the students even during their stay,” notes former participant and now convener Dr. Marie Vandewalle. “They begin questioning their work and their teachers. And they ask really deep questions, which they would never dare to ask at a conference. It is because the Summer School provides a safe environment where students and mentors can be themselves, with their emotions, doubts, struggles, and insecurities.
The Alternet Summer School is an annual initiative of Alternet, a European network of research institutions focused on biodiversity and ecosystem services. It aims to support the next generation of scientists and practitioners in developing integrative approaches to complex environmental challenges.
The Alternet Summer School is an annual initiative of Alternet, a European network of research institutions focused on biodiversity and ecosystem services. It aims to support the next generation of scientists and practitioners in developing integrative approaches to complex environmental challenges. The first edition was back in 2026. Each year, approximately 30 students from every corner of Europe and the world participate.
Martin Sharman, a recurrent speaker at the event, describes the Summer School as “a modern-day School of Aristotle, where lecturers learn as much as students - if not more.”
Applications for the Alternet Summer School 2026 are open from 10 March to 20 April 2026 at alterneteurope.eu