Our team had the privilege of participating in the European Conference of Tropical Ecology 2024 in Lisbon, Portugal. The conference brought together a diverse cohort of 250 participants from 37 countries, fostering an international exchange of knowledge and ideas. Seven members from our team, consisting of five German scientists and two Chinese researchers, actively contributed to the conference’s vibrant atmosphere.
A noteworthy highlight was our team’s dedicated session on “Multi-trophic interactions in tropical forests and agro-forestry systems.” Chaired by Finn Rehling and Heike Feldhaar, the session featured 11 engaging talks, including contributions from Jing-Ting Chen, Ming-Qiang Wang, Georg Albert, and Mareike Mittag. Massimo Martini’s presentation on the innovative nest trap design in the session on biodiversity monitoring technologies added a technological edge to our contributions. Furthermore, Finn Rehling’s talk on animal carrion decomposition in the session addressing the role of biodiversity for ecosystem functioning earned him the prestigious Merian Award from the GTÖ.
Our engagement with MultiTroph and BEF-China left such a lasting impression that fellow participants often remarked, “Ah, you are also from the BEF-China research group.” It was rewarding to see our research groups resonate so well with the conference participants, affirming the impact of our work. Participating in the conference not only facilitated knowledge exchange but strengthened our standing in the tropical ecology community. As we continue our journey, we look forward to further contributing to the field and leaving a lasting impact on the research landscape. Maybe, the next time at the conference for tropical ecology 2025 in Amsterdam!