Events

 

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14-17 September 2026

Benefits and Risks of Exotic Biological Control Agents (BREBCA 2026)

San Michele all’Adige, Trento, Italy

 

The 6th meeting of the IOBC-WPRS Working Group “Benefits and Risks of Exotic Biological Control Agents” will bring together scientists, practitioners, and policymakers to exchange knowledge, share experiences, and advance the safe and effective use of exotic biological control agents (BCAs).

The BREBCA 2026 meeting will address key topics including:

• Assessing benefits and risks of exotic BCAs through ecological, socio-economic, and policy frameworks
• Rapid deployment of exotic BCAs against emerging pests, pathogens, and invasive plants
• Ecological interactions between exotic agents, native species, and ecosystems
• Innovative tools for safety testing, host specificity, and climate-smart agent selection
• Exotic BCA ecology under global change, including climate and land-use effects
• Governance and regulation, with focus on international coordination and policy harmonization
• Ethical and societal perspectives, including stakeholder engagement and communication
• Long-term monitoring and adaptive management for sustained ecological outcomes
• Integration with IPM, exploring synergies between exotic agents and other pest management strategies

Contributions fitting in with the topics above are most welcome. Although BREBCA is Europe-based, participation is global, reflecting the central role of biological control in sustainable pest, pathogen and weed management.

Meeting website: https://sites.google.com/fmach.it/brebca-2026

 

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26-30 October 2026

7th International Symposium on Biological Control of Arthropods (ISBCA7)

Nairobi, Kenya

 

The 7th International Symposium on Biological Control of Arthropods (ISBCA) will take place in Nairobi, Kenya, October 26-30, 2026. CAB International (CABI) and the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO) will co-host the ISBCA event at the KALRO conference facility, located at their headquarters at Loresho, Kaptagat Road, Nairobi.

The goal of ISBCA is to create a forum where biological control researchers and practitioners can meet to exchange information and discuss up-to-date issues relating to biological control. This includes the various approaches to biological control, e.g. conservation, augmentation, and importation of natural enemy species for the control of arthropod targets. It also encompasses various transversal issues, including the uptake of biological control and socio-economic impacts. Scientific outputs from post graduate students and post docs are particularly welcome.

An important goal of these meetings is to be truly international, with good participation from all parts of the world. After previously being held in North and South America, Europe, Australasia, and Asia it is now a great opportunity to be able to host for the first time the symposium in continental Africa and to be able to link in several colleagues from this region who have previously not had the opportunity to participate. As such, it is an excellent opportunity to create and expand networks.

Symposium website: https://isbca2026.com/en

 

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1-15 March 2027

Innovations in Rearing High-Quality Invertebrates

16th Workshop IOBC-MRQA Work Group

Joint meeting of the MRQA and the Association of Natural Biocontrol Producers (ANBP)

Tucson, AZ, USA

 

 

We are pleased to announce tentative dates for the 16th Workshop of the IOBC Global Working Group on Mass Rearing & Quality Assurance (MRQA). It will be in Tucson, Arizona USA during the first week of March 2027.

The workshop objective is to explore opportunities for advancing the rearing of high quality entomophagous and phytophagous insects and mites, entomopathogenic nematodes, and other invertebrates for plant and animal pest management, human and animal food, and a variety of other uses. The program will consist of symposia on current “Hot topics,” invited and submitted presentations, and posters on selected aspects of invertebrate rearing and quality assurance as they relate to production and quality control. Presentations will serve as a basis for discussion and exchange, with the final aim of improving collaboration among scientists and practitioners. Accommodation for remote presentations will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

The program will include sessions on:

1. Mass rearing and evaluating biological control agents for pests
2. Mass rearing for SIT and other autocidal pest control
3. Methods for assessing the quality of biological control products
4. Mass rearing insects for food and feed
5. Mass rearing and evaluating pollinators
6. Open session on rearing invertebrates

Download: Invitation - Save the Date! (pdf)

More information on IOBC-MRQA: https://www.mrqa.eu

 

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1 - 5 November 2027

XXI International Plant Protection Congress (IPPC 2027)

Christchurch, New Zealand

 

The XXI International Plant Protection Congress (XXI IPPC) will be held from November 1-5, 2027, at the Te Pae Christchurch Convention Centre in Christchurch, New Zealand. Organized by the IAPPS (International Association for the Plant Protection Sciences), this event represents the 78th year of the congress and is the first to be hosted in the Australasian region.

The event follows the XX IPPC held in Athens in 2024, continuing the 4-year cycle of scientific exchange intended to protect global plant resources and enhance food security.

Theme & Goal:
The congress aims to integrate modern indigenous knowledge with global scientific and private sector efforts, focusing on sustainable, effective, and environmentally safe plant protection.

Significance:
It serves as a unique global platform for researchers, practitioners, and students to discuss key plant health challenges, including climate change impacts, emerging pests, and food security.

Key Focus Areas:
The 2027 event will heavily emphasize the incorporation of indigenous insights into plant protection science, featuring field trips and a multidisciplinary approach encompassing plant pathology, entomology, and weed science.

Website: https://www.ippc2027.com

 

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17-21 July 2028

XXVIII International Congress of Entomology in 2028 (ICE 2028)

Cape Town, South Africa

 

The theme of ICE 2028 is: “Entomology for a better future”.

ICE 2028 in Cape Town offers an opportunity for Africa and the rest of the Global South to join in the journey to this better future, while still offering a world class conference venue and city for international delegates.

Website: https://ice2028.com

 

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18 - 26 August 2028

13th International Congress of Plant Pathology (ICPP2028)

Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia

 

ICPP is the world’s largest conference on plant pathology and has served as the global forum to foster sharing the research updates and facilitate collaboration among scientists around the world.

It is predicted that the global population will reach 9.7 billion people by 2050, placing intense pressure on food supply chains. Half of the world’s population will reside in the tropics due to rapid population growth in this region, and tropical climes will have expanded poleward due to global warming. It is therefore apt that the ICPP in 2028 will be held for the very first time in a subtropical zone.

We are planning a diverse and stimulating program of talks, workshops, technical tours, and social networking events. Think of any crop and it is likely to be grown in Australia – from apples to mangoes and wheat to sugarcane. There will be congress sessions that cater for every plant pathology interest.

Congress website: https://www.icpp2028.org