In November 2024, during the ESP Conference in Wageningen, the idea for an ESP summer school was born. The summer school is named after ESP founder and long term chair Rudolf de Groot.
The first, very successful edition was organised in 2025 in Aveiro, Portugal. The second edition will take place 1-5 September 2026 in Barcelona.
ESP Summer School 2026
Ecosystem services modelling and biodiversity indicators
1-5 September 2026 | CREAF, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Spain
The second edition of the Rudolf de Groot ESP Summer School 2026, will provide early-career researchers with theoretical and practical training on ecosystem‑service modelling and biodiversity assessment for addressing the ECO‑RESILIENCE 360º themes of nature‑based solutions, ecosystem risks and adaptation. Ecosystem services underpin human well‑being but are increasingly jeopardised by climate change, land‑use change and biodiversity loss. Effective management requires robust models and biodiversity indicators, yet many early‑career researchers lack training in these tools.
Find out more on the official website. Applications can be submitted after 13 April.
ESP Summer School 2025
Value Transfer for Ecosystem Service Valuation and Mapping
1-5 September 2025 | University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal
The first edition of the Rudolf de Groot ESP Summer School 2025, aims to provide early-career researchers with theoretical and practical training on value transfer methods for ecosystem service valuation and mapping. With the growing need to integrate nature into economic decision-making, understanding and experience on how to quantify, transfer, and map ecosystem service values is essential for both research and policy applications. Participants will learn to master, use and implement different value transfer methods and strengthen related skills during the Summer School. The work will consist of a combination of seminars, value transfer applications, ecosystem service value mapping, presentations, discussions with peers and several excursions.
