IBC 2026 will feature symposia covering a wide range of research topics focused on island systems, proposed through an open call.

The following symposia will be held.

ICS conservation on the Seychelles Outer Islands

(Organiser: Gregory Berke)

Resilience and Dynamics of Island Ecosystems under Natural Disturbances

(Organiser: Hitoshi Sakio)

Advancing island biodiversity monitoring to support global conservation

(Organisers: Holger Kreft, Bernd Lenzner, Nathaly Guerrero)

Mainland proximity and human settlement reshape Oceanic islands Ecosystem: Diversity of animal communities and the ecology of native and non-native species in the Izu Islands

(Organisers: Yusuke  Magome, Daichi Iijima)

Beyond Darwinian model islands: opportunities from non-canonical islands for island biology theory

(Organisers: Sebastian Steibl, Sofía Hayden Bofill, Luís Valente)

Integrated Approaches to Plant Extinction Prevention in Hawaii

(Organiser: Matt Keir)

Next-generation methods and data for fine-scale island biodiversity monitoring

(Organisers: Jamie Kass, Sam Ross)

Reconstructing global biodiversity of islands in the Anthropocene

(Organiser: Ferran Sayol, Tom Matthews)

The initial ecosystem formation process of a newly formed volcanic island, Nishino-shima

(Organiser: Takashi Kamijo)

Biotic interactions shaping biodiversity recovery in island restoration

(Organisers: Sandra Hervías-Parejo, Ruben Hüttel Heleno, Yuya Watari)

Ecology, biodiversity, and conservation of aquatic ecosystems in islands

(Organisers: Núria Bonada, Luciana Gomez-Barbosa)

Mountains on Islands

(Organiser: Anke  Jentsch)

Symposium format and session management

Each symposium is allocated a total of two hours. Symposium organizers are free to determine the structure of their session, including the presentation time allocated to each speaker. They are also responsible for chairing the session and managing the schedule. The entire session, including presentations, question-and-answer periods, and transitions between speakers, must not exceed two hours.

Cancellation policy

Please submit a symposium proposal only if you are committed to attending the meeting and fulfilling your responsibilities as a symposium organizer. If unavoidable circumstances arise, a lead symposium organizer may be replaced by the symposium co-organizer or another qualified colleague.

IB 2026 cannot provide financial assistance, stipends, or complimentary registrations to speakers. Symposium organizers must notify this clearly when they invite speakers. Symposium organizers are responsible for securing funding for their speakers if necessary.

The registration fee will be refunded if a symposium is canceled before the deadline of regular registration on September 30, 2026. The organizers and speakers must bear any refund handling or processing fees.

Under unavoidable circumstances in which a speaker must cancel, the speaker must immediately notify the symposium session organizer. The organizer is responsible for finding a replacement speaker and notifying the Program Chair (ib2026.program.chair"at mark”gmail.com, change “at mark” to @) as soon as possible—even if the replacement is determined the day before the session.