About the Conference
The 8th International Marine Conservation Congress (IMCC8) will be held in Edinburgh, Scotland, from November 13-17, 2026. The meeting is organized by the Society for Conservation Biology’s Global Marine Program and is held every two years.
It will be held at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre (EICC). Address: 150 Morrison St, Edinburgh EH3 8EE, United Kingdom
The overall theme of IMCCs is Making Marine Science Matter. For marine conservation to be effective, marine conservation science must matter to stakeholders, policy makers, and practitioners. IMCC seeks to engage everyone involved in marine conservation to share ideas and promote action for the long term health of our oceans! Below you can find a brief list of just some of the topics that might be covered at the conference, which breadth highlights the wide range of interests of our delegates!
Fisheries, aquaculture and the oceans; marine food systems; conservation and management of the Arctic and Antarctic; conservation engineering; ocean science technology; marine energy; climate, ocean acidification, and the changing oceans; marine and coastal cultures; marine governance; areas beyond national jurisdiction (ABNJ); marine conservation planning; communication and outreach; blue economy; marine industry; citizen science; traditional ecological knowledge; knowledge exchange; marine tourism; wellbeing and health; marine and coastal restoration; conservation at the land-sea interface.
Conference Venue
Edinburgh International Conference Centre (EICC)
The Edinburgh International Conference Centre (EICC) is one of the UK’s leading purpose-built venues for conferences, exhibitions, and corporate events. Designed to accommodate everything from high-level international congresses to large-scale plenaries and breakouts, the EICC combines flexible event space with modern, high-spec facilities in a professional conference setting.
Located in the heart of Edinburgh’s city centre, the EICC sits within easy reach of the city’s key cultural and entertainment districts. Its central location places delegates within walking distance of a wide choice of hotels, restaurants, and visitor attractions, and provides excellent transport links for arrival by rail, tram, or air via Edinburgh Airport.
History
After the first (1997) and second (2001) Symposia on Marine Conservation Biology confirmed the large number of marine conservation biologists interested in furthering marine science, research, and public policy, a group of marine professionals organized a formal society for marine conservation biology. The SCB Marine Global Program now provides a home for marine conservation biology in order to further marine conservation science, research, and public policy. The Program’s flagship meeting is the biennial International Marine Conservation Congress (IMCC).
Previous IMCCs have been held in Washington D.C – USA (2009), Victoria – Canada (2011),Glasgow, UK (2014),St. John’s – Canada (2016), Kuching – Malaysia (2018). IMCC6 (2020), was one of the first virtual conferences to be held during the Covid-19 pandemic and was organized out of Kiel, Germany. IMCC7 was held in Cape Town, South Africa (2024).