Society For Ecological Restoration (SER)

10/14/2026

Indigenous seed networks are central to restoration, biodiversity conservation, and biocultural knowledge. This panel webinar, presented by SER’s International Network for Seed Based Restoration (INSR), brings together practitioners and experts from Brazil, Kenya, Tanzania, and the United States to discuss Indigenous leadership in seed collection, conservation, banking, and use in restoration. Designed as a conversation, the 90-minute session will explore native plant seed needs, sustaining relationships with plants and landscapes, and ways to strengthen Indigenous-led stewardship.

Indigenous Seed Networks: A Conversation on Seed Stewardship and Restoration
22 October 2026, 1:00 PM UTC

Register: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/1117919646781/WN_GuJDg0QKQmuzV9aKoXuxuA

Speakers: Lia Rezende Domingues (Xingu Seed Network), Lucy Adhiambo and Benard Maina (Centre for Ecosystem Restoration-Kenya), Benson Henry Tilya (East Africa Seed Network for Restoration; INSR), Kaya DeerInWater (American Indian Higher Education Consortium), and Gabriele Vieira (UFSCar; INSR).

10/13/2026

Meet SER’s October Members in Action spotlight: Shalini Dhyani. Shalini is a new SER Board Member and Asia Regional Director for 2026 to 2028. She is a Scientist at CSIR-National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (CSIR-NEERI) in India, where she leads the Centre for Ecological Systems and Resilience Design. Click to read the full article here: https://www.ser.org/news/736216/Member-in-Action-Shalini-Dhyani-SER-Board-Member-and-Asia-Regional-Director-20262028.htm

10/12/2026

The deadline for the SER2027 Call for Proposals has been extended to 21 October 2026. There is still time to propose a symposium or training course for the 12th World Conference on Ecological Restoration in Lisbon. Our article on what makes a strong proposal offers guidance on putting your best submission forward. Read the article: https://ser2027.org/strong-proposal/

Submit a proposal: https://ser2027.org/call-for-proposals/

This call is for symposia and training courses only; the Call for Abstracts, covering oral presentations, lightning talks, and posters, opens in December 2026.

SER2027 is co-organized in collaboration with regional partners including the Society for Ecological Restoration (SER) Europe, SPECO - Sociedade Portuguesa de Ecologia, Associação para a Investigação e Desenvolvimento de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa and Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa.

10/10/2026

FAO has released The State of the World's Forests 2026, focused this year on forest and landscape restoration, with SER as one of its scientific partners.

The report examines how high-quality restoration can recover ecological function while improving human well-being, setting out four pathways for scaling restoration and eighteen case studies from around the world. SER-affiliated experts contributed as authors and reviewers, and the report draws on SER's standards, tools, and certification throughout.

Read the article: https://www.ser.org/news/736488/SER-Contributes-to-The-State-of-the-Worlds-Forests-2026.htm



Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)

10/09/2026

Three weeks remain to apply for SER's Certified Ecological Restoration Practitioner (CERP) program, which recognizes professional standards in restoration practice and connects practitioners across the field. Applications, including references, are due 31 October 2026. New to CERP? A short webinar can help you get started: https://www.ser.org/news/733141/Open-Access-Is-Practitioner-Certification-Right-for-You.htm

Start your application: https://www.ser.org/general/custom.asp?page=CERPApplications

10/06/2026

SER is pleased to welcome a new cohort of Certified Ecological Restoration Practitioners (CERP) and CERPs-in-Training.

This spring's cycle drew more than 80 applicants, the highest number in seven years, and the program continues to expand globally, with one in three applicants now coming from outside North America. The new cohort works across mangroves, native forests, arid lands, grasslands, wetlands, and urban coastlines, from Singapore and Australia to Saudi Arabia, Kenya, Chile, Canada, and the United States. Their projects range from restoring former prawn ponds to mangrove forest on Pulau Ubin, to monitoring cultural cool burning in critically endangered Box-Gum Grassy Woodland in New South Wales, to a 10-year ecosystem restoration strategy for AlUla, Saudi Arabia.

With the addition of Singapore and Spain, CERPs and CERPs-in-Training now represent more than 40 countries across six continents.

Congratulations to every new practitioner. The next application deadline is 31 October 2026. Learn more:

The Society for Ecological Restoration (SER) advances restoration science, practice and policy to re-establish an ecologically healthy relationship between nature and culture.

10/03/2026

Enjoy this free open access article from the Restoration Ecology Journal: Reference wet grasslands to support conservation and restoration assessments in the Brazilian Savanna.

Access it here: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/rec.70454

SER members receive full access to Restoration Ecology, click here to learn more about our member benefits: https://www.ser.org/page/membership-benefits

10/02/2026

SER’s Community Calendar features upcoming conferences, workshops, webinars, chapter meetings, and other events related to ecological restoration. From restoration workshops to training courses, October offers many learning opportunities. Check out our calendar of upcoming events that have been pre-approved for Continuing Education Credits (CECs): https://www.ser.org/events/event_list.asp

1, 8, 15, 22, 29 October: Unlocking Forest Sector Innovation: The Practise and Potential Pathways for Scaling Up (1 CEC per session) https://www.ser.org/events/EventDetails.aspx?id=2081716&group=

2 October: Introduction to Environmental Management Plans on Construction Sites (4 CECs)
https://www.ser.org/events/EventDetails.aspx?id=2082034&group=

3 & 4 October: International Conference on Shellfish Restoration (10 CECs) https://www.ser.org/events/EventDetails.aspx?id=2064386&group=

12 - 16 October: Africa Ecosystem Restoration Symposium 2026 by SER-Africa (10 CECs) https://www.ser.org/events/EventDetails.aspx?id=2071420&group=

19 - 22 October: SERA 2026: Connected Restoration, Inspired Action (10 CECs) https://www.ser.org/events/EventDetails.aspx?id=2056299&group=

23 October: Introduction to Environmental Work on Construction Sites (4 CECs) https://www.ser.org/events/EventDetails.aspx?id=2082030&group=

24 - 25 October: Wetland Construction Training Ball State University (10 CECs) https://www.ser.org/events/EventDetails.aspx?id=2081746&group=

21 October - 8 November: Best Practises for Identifying, Managing and Creating Habitat - Ontario's Species at Risk Snakes (10 CECs) https://www.ser.org/events/EventDetails.aspx?id=2041953&group=

Are you interested in having your event pre-approved for Continuing Education Credits (CECs) under SER's Certified Ecological Restoration Practitioner (CERP) program? Submit your events here: https://www.ser.org/page/CERP-continuing-education-credits

10/01/2026

The Mediterranean Basin is the world's second largest biodiversity hotspot, and its restoration work holds lessons for practitioners everywhere.

Our latest SER2027 article, "A Region in Motion," explores how restoration is advancing across the region and why collaboration across disciplines is central to lasting outcomes, drawing on research led by SER2027 Conference Co-Chair Alice Nunes. SER2027 returns to Europe for the first time in 12 years, and its symposia and training courses will share insights to apply around the world.

Read the article and submit a proposal by 7 October: https://ser2027.org/mediterranean-basin/

Conservation and restoration efforts are most efficient when considered as part of a broader ecological and social system rather than isolated sites. Coordination across landscapes ensures that interventions account for the interdependencies between terrestrial ecosystems, such as forests, wetlands,...

09/30/2026

Long Point, Ontario, is the longest freshwater peninsula in the world, and a decade of restoration has reclaimed it from one of the province's most aggressive invasive plants.

Our latest Restoration Story follows the Nature Conservancy of Canada's invasive Phragmites work at Long Point, a Ramsar wetland and World Biosphere Reserve that is home to more than 88 species at risk. After the peninsula became 40 percent covered by invasive Phragmites, NCC and its partners treated it at a landscape scale, forming a coalition of more than 30 organisations. As the plant was removed, native species returned, including Fowler's toads, wild rice, and the birds that depend on them.

Read it: https://www.ser.org/news/735370/Invasive-phragmites-restoration-in-Long-Point-Ontario-Canada.htm

Story submitted by the Nature Conservancy of Canada / Conservation de la nature Canada.

Photos in order:

Photo 1: NCC staff member Kyle Borrowman with invasive Phragmites australis at Long Point, Ontario. Photo by Giles Restoration Services.

Photo 2: Phragmites australis with a feathery, dark purplish-brown seed head/panicle and flat green leaves. Photo by One Media.

Photo 3: Marsh master moving through invasive Phragmites at Long Point, Ontario. Photo by One Media.

Photo 4: Invasive Phragmites management at Long Point, Ontario. Photo by One Media.

Photo 5: Turkey Point Marsh, Long Point, Ontario. Photo by Patricia Prelich / NCC.

Photo 6: Turkey Point Marsh, Long Point, Ontario. Photo by Patricia Prelich / NCC.