The 29th Conference of Parties (COP29), an international summit on climate change held in November 2024 in Baku, Azerbaijan, saw a notable appearance by CO-OP4CBD. The event was an opportunity for the Horizon-funded project to be presented with its innovative approaches to strengthening the biodiversity science-policy interface. This occurred in the context of the Nature and Biodiversity Thematic Day on 21 November, when WP5 partners from Pensoft hosted a dynamic side event at the Bulgarian pavilion - “Supporting Climate and Biodiversity Policy Through Open Science and Science Communication”.

It focused on two crucial themes: open science for nature restoration and climate change mitigation and the role of communication in supporting the biodiversity science-policy interface. With regards to the former, emphasis was placed on the role of open science in accelerating scalable solutions for climate adaptation and ecosystem restoration. The latter session, on the other hand, served to highlight how effective science communication can bridge the gap between research and policymaking. In that sense, a successful science communicator promotes informed decision-making and evidence-based actions, thereby driving sustainability and conservation efforts.

CO-OP4CBD specifically came into the spotlight during this side event with a showcase of the project’s objectives and its contribution to enhancing the EU biodiversity science-policy interface related to CBD processes. A variety of stakeholders were in attendance, including representatives from the USA, Bulgaria, Bangladesh, and the EU. Moreover, an opportunity arose to make a targeted pitch surrounding CO-OP4CBD’s vision and approach to EU ambassadors attending COP29.

Given the high overall attendance of the summit (over 75,000 participants), the project was afforded significant exposure - more than 1,000 people were reached directly through targeted promotional activities and the side event. These figures were bolstered by the established social media collaboration with the Conference’s EU Pavilion. Notable actors from diverse research, policy, activist and expert organisations familiarised themselves with CO-OP4CBD and expressed a desire to find out more in the future. The distribution of promotional materials greatly helped in this regard as it facilitated discussions on the project as a driver of transformative change in the field of CBD processes.