SYMBIOSIS project (co-funded by Europe’s Rail Joint Undertaking and coordinated by UIC) held its first Stakeholders Engagement Workshop online on 25 September 2025. The event gathered around 60 participants, including policymakers, transport operators, researchers, NGOs, and civil society representatives, to exchange ideas on how to better integrate biodiversity into transport and energy infrastructure.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE WORKSHOP PRESENTATION
Project Overview
Participants were reminded that SYMBIOSIS unites 22 partners from 13 countries with three strategic objectives:
Underline key enablers in policy, finance, and reporting.
Deliver practical tools that embed biodiversity into infrastructure planning.
Convene communities of practice to harmonise data and share knowledge.
Stakeholder involvement is central to this mission. Two groups are being mobilised: an Advisory Board for strategic input and a Technical Stakeholder Group for practical and technical feedback.
Knowledge Transfer & Capacity Building
ICSi presented the project’s emerging capacity-building strategy, designed to link biodiversity, transport, and energy communities through trainings, case studies, and “ask the expert” sessions.
Work Package Updates
WP3 – Operational Toolkit (UPM): Developing practical tools to integrate biodiversity and climate resilience into infrastructure planning. Stakeholders were invited to share adaptation plans or nature-based solutions applied in transport infrastructure.
👉 Watch the WP3 video
📩 Contact: Sergio Álvarez – sergio.alvarez@upm.es
WP3 monthly meeting 25/11 at 11:00 CET: Link
WP4 – Standardising Biodiversity Data (UKCEH): Piloting innovative monitoring methods (acoustic, genetic, remote sensing) and working towards harmonised biodiversity data collection.
👉 Contribute to the WP4 survey
👉 Watch the WP4 video
📩 Contact: Reto Schmucki – retoschm@ceh.ac.uk
WP4 Bimonthly meetings – TBD
WP5 – Societal Challenges (CERTH): Examining policy alignment, impact assessment practices, and embedding biodiversity in procurement and corporate strategies and reporting. Monthly stakeholder meetings will ensure continuous input.
👉 Watch the WP5 video
📩 Contact: Matina Loukea – mloukea@certh.gr
WP5 monthly meeting last Tuesday of each month: 28/10 at 9-10:30: link
DOWNLOAD THE PART I PRESENTATION
Deep Dive: WP5 Session
The interactive WP5 session addressed societal impacts and stakeholder participation. Key challenges identified included:
- Limited inclusion of local communities and civil society in decision-making.
- Gaps in integrating biodiversity into EIA, procurement, and sustainability reporting.
- Misalignment between EU strategies and their implementation in national policies.
Expected outcomes include:
- An assessment framework to capture societal impacts and stakeholder engagement.
- Practical recommendations to embed biodiversity in transport governance.
- A more inclusive, evidence-based approach aligning infrastructure with Europe’s environmental goals.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE PRESENTATION OF THE WP5 DEEP DIVE SESSION
Next Steps
The workshop reaffirmed the importance of broad stakeholder collaboration to make transport infrastructure sustainable and biodiversity-friendly. The insights gathered will directly feed SYMBIOSIS deliverables and ongoing stakeholder engagement.