original posting taken from iale2022.eu
Authors: Organisers of IALE 2022 European Landscape Ecology Congress

From the very beginning we wanted the IALE European Landscape Ecology Congress to be a meeting that would give the possibility of creative exchange of views, lively discussion, network building and social events among friends and colleagues. We planned to organise it in Warsaw, the part of Europe where the influences of Western and Eastern European scientific perspectives intersect.

In March 2021, we decided to postpone the Congress by one year, because we were determined to have an in-person event and hoped that the pandemic would be contained by July 2022. When it looked as though there was a chance to meet safely, war broke out at our borders. The war that shocks the world and with each passing day increases the unimaginable suffering of Ukrainians and the destruction of their homeland.

Considering the dangers of the Russian invasion, the uncertainty of tomorrow and the obvious need to help millions of refugees arriving in Poland, we regretfully decided, in consultation with the IALE-Europe Executive Committee, to change the format of the Congress to an online meeting. We were primarily guided by the care for the safety of Congress participants and the sense of inadequacy of cheerful networking in these very tragic days. This move is also a response to the numerous and understandable fears from participants related to travelling so close to the border with Ukraine, perceived by some participants almost as a front zone.

We will do our best to make the online meeting interesting, interactive and valuable for everyone. We plan to open registration on April 1st, with an early bird deadline on April 30th, and a deadline for contributors on May 31st. The Congress fee will be 100/50 Euro (discount for students and IALE members). We encourage the participants to allocate the funds saved on travel and accommodation to help refugees from Ukraine.