Organized in conjunction with the 2022 Spirit of Bern event, which took place the day before under the motto How to Save the Planet, the Symposium featured a virtual keynote address by Al Gore, who also answered questions from presenters. Other speakers included prominent voices such as Sonia Seneviratne, Maja Göpel, and Thomas Vellacott.

The day was structured in two parts, each with a distinct format. Three parallel working sessions took place during the morning, followed by a visioning challenge, an Ideathon in the afternoon. Participants were invited to join both sessions, either virtually or physically. 

The Parallel Working Sessions served as a stimulant to the Ideathon that followed in the afternoon. The goal of these sessions was to understand fundamental conditions that drive the transformation of socioecological systems, and how knowledge plays a key role in the process.

The discussions revolved around three core themes:

• Embracing complexity: What tools and approaches adequately capture the complexity of the socio-ecological systems that we seek to transform? How do we achieve a shared vision of sustainability, and how can we best support those implementing it in practice?

• Catalyzing co-benefits between nature and human wellbeing: What is the scientific evidence, and how can we amplify positive examples? Can tipping points be observed?

• Rewiring the conventional thinking of sustainable development.  What needs to change in how we think, plan, and act?

The Ideathon employed various techniques tested by the Wyss Academy for Nature and its advisors to foester creative thinking and enable collaboration across different sectors and disciplines. The outputs were documented and shared as part of a growing knowledge base, with several ideas directly informing the Wyss Academy for Nature's projects.