Broadening the Horizons of Grassland Science for the Anthropocene

For further information please consult the following website: Eurasian Grassland Conference 2025 | EDGG

Semi-natural Grasslands have developed into biodiverse habitats as a consequence of anthropogenic activity, such as extensive agriculture, so they are inextricably linked to the Anthropocene period. In Finland, as in much or the Palaearctic Region, the amount of seminatural grassland habitat (meadow) peaked during the early 19th century. By the late 1800s, a large-scale transition was already underway, with grasslands being converted to fields for the production of arable crops. Now, only small remnants remain of formerly extensive grasslands, and several grassland types, as well as many of their plant and insect species, are highly endangered. Today these habitats are dependent on conservation work by Parks and Wildlife Finland, regional Centres for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment (ELY Centres) and a number of NGOs.

For the historical 20th Eurasian Grassland Conference (EGC XX), we wanted to bring participants to a location that will be novel and exotic for the majority of EDGG members. To fulfil that goal, we are happy to offer you the opportunity to attend the first ever EGC conference in the Nordic region, even taking you to within a stone’s throw of the Arctic Circle. The venue for the conference will be Oulu University, where we will be hosted by the Biodiverse Anthropocenes programme, led my Marko Mutanen. The conference programme will include all of the familiar elements, such as diverse workshops in which you can learn new skills, an icebreaker event, Grassland Party, charity auction, and a diverse range of inspiring plenary presentations from internationally acknowledged experts. Finally, the traditional post-conference excursion will take us to the northeast of Finland. 

Registration is now open

Online registration is now open. To benefit from the early-bird price, we encourage you to register before 15th June. The delays have been a result of waiting for a decision about sponsorship, which will have an impact on the registration fees for the conference. In the registration form, we quote the current cost estimations of the fees, excluding the sponsorship. If we succeed in obtaining this funding, which will become known around 19th May, then the fees will be reduced substantially. For now, the fees quoted in the registration form are only indicative but you can use these for the purpose of your travel expense claims. Registered participants will receive an invoice as soon as the size of the fees can be confirmed. If you have any queries, then please feel free to contact us at EGC2025@lists.oulu.fi.