The Centre for Transdisciplinary Development Studies (CETRAD/UTAD) was represented at the 2026 Annual Meeting of the European project TRANSFORm by researchers Cibele Souza and Lívia Madureira, Full Professor at the University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro. The meeting took place at Vilnius University, Lithuania, bringing together international consortium partners to discuss the scientific progress of the project, the development of its different work packages, as well as future goals, expected outcomes, and the planning of upcoming activities.
Focused on the Euro-Mediterranean region and involving partners from Spain, Lithuania, Austria, Israel, Italy, and Portugal, the TRANSFORm project is part of the European Biodiversity Partnership – Biodiversa+, an initiative funded by Horizon Europe, supporting excellent biodiversity research with scientific, policy, and societal impact.
The main objective of TRANSFORm is to investigate the potential of Traditional Agroforestry Systems as Nature-based Solutions (NbS), exploring how these systems can contribute to addressing contemporary environmental, social, and territorial challenges. Key topics include biodiversity conservation, agroforestry systems, climate change adaptation and mitigation, ecosystem sustainability, territorial resilience, and sustainable rural development.
The research developed within TRANSFORm also places particular emphasis on governance dimensions, stakeholder participation, and decision-making processes associated with the implementation of Nature-based Solutions. In this context, the project examines how institutional actors, local communities, rural producers, farmers, and policymakers can collaborate in building sustainable strategies for territorial management and biodiversity conservation.
The project adopts an interdisciplinary approach that combines ecological analysis, ecosystem services assessment, and active community participation, promoting sustainable solutions based on the interaction between natural, social, and institutional systems.
More information about the project can be found at: biodiversa+
