The 6th meeting of the IOBC-WPRS Working Group “Benefits and Risks of Exotic Biological Control Agents” will bring together scientists, practitioners, and policymakers to exchange knowledge, share experiences, and advance the safe and effective use of exotic biological control agents (BCAs).
The BREBCA 2026 meeting will address key topics including:
- Assessing benefits and risks of exotic BCAs through ecological, socio-economic, and policy frameworks
- Rapid deployment of exotic BCAs against emerging pests, pathogens, and invasive plants
- Ecological interactions between exotic agents, native species, and ecosystems
- Innovative tools for safety testing, host specificity, and climate-smart agent selection
- Exotic BCA ecology under global change, including climate and land-use effects
- Governance and regulation, with focus on international coordination and policy harmonization
- Ethical and societal perspectives, including stakeholder engagement and communication
- Long-term monitoring and adaptive management for sustained ecological outcomes
- Integration with IPM, exploring synergies between exotic agents and other pest management strategies
Contributions fitting in with the topics above are most welcome. Although BREBCA is Europe-based, participation is global, reflecting the central role of biological control in sustainable pest, pathogen and weed management.
Please save the date!
Additional details regarding applications, registration, and travel arrangements will be provided in a second circular in early 2026.
Meeting website: https://sites.google.com/fmach.it/brebca-2026
Download:
- First announcement (pdf)
- Second circular (pdf)
Date
14 - 17 September 2026
Place
San Michele all’Adige, Trento, Italy
Contact
Local organizer:
Fondazione Edmund Mach (FEM), Research and Innovation Center, via E. Mach 1, 30098 San Michele a/A, Trento, Italy
Contact: marcovalerio.rossistacconi@fmach.it