THE ‘OLIVARES VIVOS+’ PROJECT HOSTS THE FIRST INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS ON BIODIVERSITY AND AGRICULTURE (ICBA 2026)

From 14 to 17 April, Jaén will host the ‘1st International Congress on Biodiversity and Agriculture (ICBA 2026)’, organised by SEO/BirdLife, as part of the LIFE ‘Olivares Vivos+’ project, which is affiliated with the University Institute of Research on Olive Grove and Olive Oils (INUO) at the University of Jaén. The main objective is to continue making progress in the task of reconciling two ‘inseparable’ aspects: the conservation of biodiversity and the economic viability of agricultural holdings, to this end, it brings together national and international experts from the scientific community, the agricultural sector, public administrations and civil society, who will reflect on the strategic role of biodiversity in agriculture and on the best ways to integrate it effectively into production models, making them more sustainable, resilient and profitable.

The opening ceremony, held at the Iberian Museum in Jaén, featured speeches by the Rector of the University of Jaén, Nicolás Ruiz; the Executive Director of Seo/BirdLife, Asunción Ruiz; the Mayor of Jaén City Council, Julio Millán Muñoz; the Executive Director of the International Olive Council (IOC), Jaime Lillo López; the Regional Minister for Sustainability and the Environment, Catalina García Carrasco; the Government Sub-delegate in Jaén, Manuel Fernández Palomino; and the Councillor for the Environment and the Fight against Climate Change at the Provincial Council of Jaén, Isabel Uceda Cantero.

During the opening ceremony, the Rector of the University of Jaén stated that this event was conceived with the aim of “marking a turning point in the way we understand our relationship with the land”. “The fact that this conference is being held in Jaén is a matter of justice and consistency, as we are situated in the region with the largest man-made woodland on the planet, a territory with 66 million olive trees that not only define our horizon but also constitute our identity, our culture and, of course, a vital economic driver,” declared the Rector. Nicolás Ruiz emphasised the UJA’s unwavering commitment to its local community, explaining that of the 130 research groups at the UJA, almost 70 per cent are linked, either directly or indirectly, to the olive sector. “We do not turn our backs on our local reality; we are key players in shaping the future of our agriculture, and to this end we have a cutting-edge scientific community capable of leading the modernisation and professionalisation of a sector that, now more than ever, needs us”.

In this regard, he pointed out that the conference comes at a time of undeniable urgency, with a three-pronged crisis threatening the survival of our current way of life, comprising: an accelerated loss of biodiversity that weakens the resilience of crops; the effects of climate change; and a lack of profitability that is suffocating producers. “We must be realistic and courageous in our message: biodiversity is by no means an obstacle to agricultural development; it is its greatest ally. Nature offers us the resilience that industrial monocultures have lost,” says Nicolás Ruiz. He went on to state that the University of Jaén is firmly convinced that food production and nature conservation are not conflicting objectives, but are in fact interdependent. “There can be no agriculture with a future without a living, healthy ecosystem to sustain it,” he clarified.

He also stated that the conference and the involvement of the agricultural sector are a direct result of the LIFE ‘Olivares Vivos’ project, an initiative that the INUO at the University of Jaén has coordinated since its inception, “because we saw its potential to transform our production model”, through the involvement of its research groups in Ecology and Marketing and Market Commercialisation, scientifically demonstrating that the ‘Olivares Vivos’ model not only restores flora and fauna with astonishing speed, but also provides extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) with added value in terms of competitiveness, excellence and innovation. He states that “we are demonstrating that biodiversity can and must be made profitable”.

Throughout the conference, which will continue at the former Teacher Training College of the University of Jaén, the debate will centre on three key pillars: biodiversity in agrosystems, markets and environmental policies, and the transfer of knowledge and agricultural practice. “The olive grove of the future will either be sustainable or it will not be at all. There is no middle ground. At the University of Jaén, we accept the responsibility of leading this transition towards a model that is both environmentally sound and economically viable,” concluded Nicolás Ruiz.

Following the opening ceremony, María Helena Semedo, former Deputy Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), delivered a lecture entitled ‘Biodiversity as the Foundation of Food Systems: Rethinking Production for a Sustainable Future’.