2026 Student Conference on Conservation Science

SCCS 2026 will take place between 31 March – 2 April 2026. Applications for in-person attendance have closed, but online registration has now opened.

We welcome applications from postgraduate students and early-career researchers working in university departments, conservation organisations and resource management agencies worldwide. Delegates cover a broad range of disciplines including ecology, genetics, geography, economics, social sciences and psychology.

What’s on?

The Conference Programme is now available.

Over the three days, there will be 4 plenary talks from leading practitioners and academics, around 30 short talks from delegates and around 90 posters. Prizes are awarded for outstanding talks and posters.

Online registration

All the talks will be live-streamed via Zoom Webinar. We will aim to take one question from online viewers after every talk – please submit your questions via the Q&A on Zoom.

Register for an online place

To celebrate 25 years, all plenary speakers are SCCS Alumni:

Divya Karnad
Ashoka University

Charles Meshack
Tanzania Forest Conservation Group

Jos Barlow
Lancaster University

Rebecca Senior
Durham University

24
years

33
student talks

62
posters

23
exhibitors

14
workshops

230
online Zoom places taken up

45
countries represented in person

The Student Conference on Conservation Science series in Bengaluru, Europe and New York is the only international series of conservation conferences aimed entirely at students.

SCCS helps early career conservation scientists gain experience, learn new ideas and make contacts that will be valuable for their future careers.

Over the past 24 years, SCCS Cambridge has hosted some 4,000 delegates from 136 countries worldwide.

“You cannot have a healthy human society on an unhealthy planet”

Yolanda Kakabadse (Former Minister of Environment, Ecuador) speaking at SCCS 2022

The SCCS family

The SCCS family is growing fast! In addition to the flagship event in Cambridge, there are now SCCS events in Hungary, India, Sweden and the USA, with some possible additions in the next few years.

Our Sponsors and Supporters

SCCS depends on a large team of professionals and volunteers who freely give their time and energy to ensure the success of each event. The organisers of SCCS Cambridge are immensely grateful for the ongoing support from our sponsors and prize givers. Click on the buttons to find out more.

More About our Sponsors
More About our Prize Givers

Thanks to our sponsors…

…and Prize givers

SCCS Organisers

Andrew Balmford (University of Cambridge)

Rob Fletcher (University of Cambridge)

Rosie Trevelyan (Tropical Biology Association)

SCCS Advisory Committee

Guy Cowlishaw (Zoological Society of London)

Rhys Green (University of Cambridge)

Julia Jones (Bangor University)

Chris Sandbrook (University of Cambridge)

Bob Smith (University of Kent)

Ruth Swetnam (The Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts)

Juliet Vickery (BTO)

Kalsum Mohd Yusah (Royal Botanic Gardens Kew)