2026 People and Nature Symposium

People and Nature: A symposium on conservation social science will bring together researchers across Florida to showcase the variety of social science work happening in the region and foster new connections and partnerships to build a better future for people and nature. The symposium will span two days from February 10-11, 2026 at the UF/IFAS Austin Cary Forest Campus in Gainesville, Florida. The program agenda includes a series of short presentations from attendees; workshops focused on networking, skill-building, and collaborative problem-solving; and fun social events.

Two ticket options. Due to high demand, we have decided to add an extra half-day to the symposium so more attendees can present their research. This means we will have extra catering costs we did not plan for. However, we are committed to keeping registration costs low for attendees. You can select from two ticket options based on your own financial circumstances:

• Registration (All Meals Included) - $112: Purchase this ticket if you would like to pay a bit more to have a catered lunch on both days of the symposium.
• Registration (Day 2 Meals Only) - $100: Purchase this ticket if you would like to pay the original registration fee, which only includes catered lunch on the second day of the symposium. If you choose this option, you will need to arrange your own lunch on the first day of the symposium.

Space is limited to 100 attendees. All attendees must register and pay the registration fee in order to attend. Tickets are available on a first come, first served basis. You may not purchase more than one ticket at a time. If you would like to purchase tickets for others, they must be purchased separately under each person’s name. Once capacity is reached, you will have the option of joining a waitlist to be notified if space becomes available before the registration deadline. The deadline to register or join the waitlist is December 10, 2025 at 11:59pm ET.

Hotel shuttle services will be available. We will be partnering with Hampton Inn & Suites Gainesville-Downtown to offer discounted room rates for symposium attendees. Limited seats will be available to shuttle attendees between the hotel and the symposium venue (UF Austin Cary Forest Campus). If you are planning to stay at this hotel and would like to take advantage of the shuttle, you can request this service during registration check-out.

If your abstract has been accepted to the symposium program, do not register here! You will be given access to a special registration event with spots specifically reserved for presenters. Contact us if you do not have that special registration link.

The symposium is organized by a passionate group of volunteers from the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS), Florida Wildlife Research Institute (FWRI), and Tampa Bay Estuary Program (TBEP). Additional information is available on the symposium webpage.

REFUND POLICY: Registrants may request a refund until January 11, 2026. After this date, we will not be able to issue any refunds, unfortunately.

Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.

Get App

Host or Publisher UF/IFAS, FWRI, TBEP