Secretariat

Announcing the new Secretariat of the Political Ecology Network!

We are excited to announce the new Secretariat of the Political Ecology Network. As a network dedicated to fostering critical discussions in political ecology, POLLEN continues to grow and evolve. As part of this effort, every two years the network organizes a conference. The next POLLEN Conference will take place next June 2026 in the sunny and beautiful Barcelona, providing an inspiring setting for discussions, networking, and knowledge exchange. The 2026 edition of the conference promises to be an engaging event, and we are thrilled to introduce the team that will help steer it forward.

The new Secretariat, based in Barcelona, will lead the organizational efforts alongside a dedicated team of academic scholars and activists. This team includes Dan Brockington (ICREA professor at ICTA-UAB), Eleonora Fanari (PhD graduated at ICTA-UAB), Laila Vivas (PhD. Basque Centre for Climate Change), Lorenzo Saccuman, and Rebecca Borges (Postdoctoral researcher at DIVERSE, Universitat Pompeu Fabra).

Together, we bring a variety of experience in political ecology, environmental justice, decolonial studies and participatory research, ensuring that POLLEN 2026 remains a vibrant platform for critical dialogue and collaboration. As we embark on this journey, we look forward to engaging with the wider POLLEN community to shape the themes, structure, and goals of the conference. Stay tuned for updates on key dates, calls for contributions, and ways to get involved.

We are grateful for the trust placed in us and are eager to make POLLEN 2026 an inclusive and impactful event.

If you have any suggestions or ideas, feel free to reach out—we welcome your input! And, if you are interested in joining in and helping out, then please drop us a line

Cheers,

Dan, Eleonora, Laila, Lorenzo, Rebecca

Dan Brockington is an ICREA Research Professor at the Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals (ICTA), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona.

His research covers diverse aspects of conservation, recent livelihood changes and poverty dynamics in East Africa, and celebrity advocacy. He has recently published (with Christine Noe) Prosperity in Rural Africa and (with Christine Noe and Stefano Ponte) Contested Sustainability. He leads the CONDJUST ERC project exploring different aspects of Conservation Data Justice and also writes middle grade children’s fiction.

Eleonora Fanari is a social science researcher who recently completed her PhD at the Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals (ICTA), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona.

Her research explores the complex dimensions of conservation, forest governance, biodiversity, and environmental justice. She is a member of the Direction Board of the Environmental Justice Atlas (EJAtlas) and an honorary member of the ICCA Consortium. Currently, she is interested in investigating the challenges and opportunities posed by ecological transitions in Europe—particularly in Italy—critically examining dominant “greening” narratives to uncover both their transformative potential and their pitfalls.

Laila Vivas is a Ph.D. in Social Communication, graduated from the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU) and the Basque Centre for Climate Change (BC3).

She has an interdisciplinary background, with an undergraduate degree in Human Nutrition and Dietetics (University of Barcelona) and a master’s degree in International Studies (UPV/EHU). Currently, Laila carries out research on ecofeminism and environmental justice at BC3 and the Johns Hopkins University – Universitat Pompeu Fabra Public Policy Centre. She also participates in climate justice movements and non-academic events related to ecosocial communication.

Lorenzo Saccuman is currently pursuing a Ms Cin in Human Geography at Lund University, Sweden.

His research interests are mostly rooted in Urban Political Ecology and focus on the relationship between urban environments and social inequalities. He’s keen on exploring how environmental, economic and social dynamics intersect to shape urban life and contribute to various forms of inequality. He first joined ICTA-UAB as an intern, working in the ReHousIn project within the Barcelona Lab for Environmental Justice and Sustainability (BCNUEJ). He then remained to work with the POLLEN Secretariat.

Rebecca Borges is a postdoctoral researcher in the DIVERSE project at the Johns Hopkins University – Universitat Pompeu Fabra Public Policy Center.

Rebecca holds a PhD in marine ecology obtained at the Leibniz Institute for Tropical Marine Research (ZMT), in Bremen, Germany, in collaboration with the Federal University of Pará (UFPA), in Bragança, Pará, Brazil.