Scope

Fourteen years after the first European meeting dedicated to the conservation of freshwater bivalves, it is time to return to the historic city of Bragança, where this collective journey began. This third meeting marks both a moment of reflection and a strategic expansion: revisiting the challenges and opportunities identified in 2012, assessing which have been successfully addressed, which remain unresolved, and redefining priorities for the coming decade, now embracing all freshwater mollusks.

Freshwater mollusks are a fundamental component of global biodiversity and are increasingly recognized for their critical ecological, economic, and social roles. Yet, they remain among the most threatened faunal groups worldwide. Over the past 14 years, research on their biology, ecology, and conservation has expanded significantly. Despite these advances, knowledge remains fragmented across regions, taxa, and disciplines, limiting the translation of science into effective conservation action. A comprehensive and integrative perspective, grounded in both successes and failures of recent efforts, is therefore more urgent than ever.

Following the successful establishment and consolidation of the Freshwater Mollusk Conservation Society (FMCS) in Europe, demonstrated by the organization of this 3rd European meeting, this symposium also represents a key step toward internationalization. In this edition, we aim to strengthen ties with the South American BIVAAS network, fostering transcontinental collaboration and laying the groundwork for expanding FMCS activities into South America. This exchange will enrich perspectives, highlight shared challenges across biogeographic regions, and promote coordinated conservation strategies at a broader, global scale.

Through keynote lectures, contributed presentations, thematic discussions, debates, and informal social interactions, the meeting seeks to reinforce a dynamic network of shared knowledge that stimulates collaborative research, capacity building, and the development of common conservation directives for freshwater mollusks and their habitats.

We invite researchers, practitioners, conservationists, and policymakers to take part in this reflection and forward-looking dialogue by submitting an abstract to the 3rd European Freshwater Mollusk Conservation Society Meeting.