From 2nd to 7th February 2026, the second edition of the Winter School in "Interdisciplinary Biodiversity" was held at the Ca' Foscari University of Venice, a unique course of its kind at an international level.

It consists of 6 days of lectures and fieldwork held by 12 professors belonging to very different disciplines (5 humanists, 7 scientists), who illustrated the rich facets of the word/concept "biodiversity" from their specific specialization, thus offering training ranging from theory to practice up to the actuality of marine biodiversity at the poles.

On February 3, prof. Isabel Sousa Pinto, who is a member of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), held the Keynote, while at the "Giancarlo Ligabue" Museum of Natural History, students observed "the archives" of biodiversity of the past.

This interdisciplinary nature of the educational offer was matched by the class of 30 international students with a very varied professional profile: from master's degree students to postdocs or professionals in the

world of sustainability (from 22 years old to over 40). The enthusiasm aroused this year with the call open only 8.5 working days is impressive: that is, we received 176 applications from all over the world (47 countries). No specific background was required, only an immediate motivation to want to know other fields of study of biodiversity than one's own and, of course, the desire to get involved in sampling plankton while studying law or intervene on epistemology texts after a doctorate in zoology.

Those who profitably attend the 6-day full course and deliver the report are awarded an Open badge registered since last year.

The School has been created and directed from the beginning by Prof. Corinna Guerra, historian of science, organized by the Ca' Foscari School for International Education, funded entirely by the NBFC with the scientific collaboration of CNR-Ismar. The study in the classroom was matched by the memorable experience of moving in the privileged observatory of the lagoon ecosystem which, as we know, is peculiar and like all wetlands (frontier ecosystems) is particularly rich in biodiversity.

It is evidently a successful experiment in real interdisciplinary teamwork; the only type of academic collective effort that can be truly effective in counteracting biodiversity loss