10 April 2025

U21 Nature Positive Coalition Workshop | University of Sydney | 1–4 April 2025 

A group of researchers from U21 member universities gathered at the University of Sydney from April 1–4, 2025, to tackle one of the most pressing challenges in global conservation: how to effectively measure biodiversity restoration using the metrics developed by the Nature Positive Initiative. A welcome event on April 1 set the tone for a week of interdisciplinary collaboration. 

Bringing together expertise in plant ecology, genomics, soil science, coastal and terrestrial ecology, geography, law, economics, and political science, the participants sought to design a collaborative research project to test and refine biodiversity restoration metrics across diverse cultural, environmental, and regulatory contexts.

 

Day One centred on building a shared understanding of the challenges associated with operationalising the metrics. Short presentations from each participant highlighted disciplinary perspectives, culminating in the emergence of seven key thematic areas and a nested research structure encompassing technical, regulatory, and socio-cultural dimensions. 

On Day Two, participants worked in smaller groups to design integrated research projects, each incorporating at least three of the identified themes. The groups pitched their ideas to U21 Provost Jenny Dixon, who offered insightful feedback and encouragement for cross-disciplinary innovation. 

I am so impressed with how quickly a group of researchers from diverse disciplinary backgrounds came together over 3 days, to take on a very gnarly and highly complex issue and emerged with a clear way forward. We are looking forward to progressing this exciting initiative over the next few months.  

-Professor Jenny Dixon, U21 Provost

Day Three focused on refining the research plans by mapping disciplinary contributions, identifying required resources, and planning inter-university collaboration. The day concluded with participants reporting back to Kathy Belov, Pro-Vice-Chancellor Research and Global Engagement at the University of Sydney. 

Next steps include the development of a comprehensive research proposal which will be presented to U21 Presidents and Vice-Chancellors in early May.  

This coalition exemplifies U21’s commitment to harnessing transdisciplinary research for global impact—advancing knowledge, policy, and practice toward a Nature Positive future.