In the early September took place the 12th World Sponge Conference in Vila do Conde, Portugal, which all SponBIODIV partners attended to share their research. In total, members of the consortium contributed over 11 oral presentations, 5 flash talks and 8 posters related to the project, with special emphasis on sponge biodiversity (11 contributions) and systematics (7 contributions). Still, contributions by the consortium were present in all but one thematic session of the conference, including ecosystem function and services, organismal biology, biotechnological applications and, most importantly, conservation and restoration.
The consortium will keep on working to advance knowledge, inspire new collaborations, disseminate results and strengthen global efforts to protect these remarkable species and habitats!
