The seventh edition of Adaptation Futures was held in Montreal, Canada on 2nd – 07th October, hosted by OURANOS. AF2023 brought together more than 1650 in-person participants and more than 460 virtual participants, coming from 127 different countries. With 180 scientific sessions and 15 parallel events, AF2023 provided an effective platform for exchanging and sharing knowledge. It also provided an opportunity for networking with the conference venue providing space and opportunities for participants to renew previous acquaintances and make new alliances.
There were multiple sessions that would be of interest to MAGICA and I encourage viewing the programme. Of additional interest, particularly in the context of organising ECCA2025, is the structure and nature of the conference and its venue. The scientific sessions were interactive including workshops and other engagement activities (purposefully laid out rooms) and there were six rooms that were fully hybrid. In addition, there what were labelled as Agora session that focused on emerging initiatives in the adaptation space and on providing a space to learning.
Connections were also made with the individual responsible for pulling together the successful bid for AF2025 – Canterbury Christ Church University, New Zealand. This 8th version of Adaptation Futures will be held 29th October to 02nd November 2025. The organisers are very interested in a relationship between ECCA2025 and AF2025, including potential joined up / linked sessions. They are looking forward to having conversations soon to facilitate such a relationship. This potential relationship is something MAGICA should pursue sooner rather than later.
Author: Roger Street
