GGM staff member, Dr Kaera Coetzer, and GGM PhD candidate, Ms. Gizelle van Niekerk, recently visited the University of Coimbra in Portugal (2 – 7 November, 2025), as part of project activities under Dr Coetzer’s BECOME (Biospheres as Effective Conservation Measures) programme of work. Hosted by the UNESCO chair in Biodiversity Safeguard for Sustainable Development at the University of Coimbra, the research trip provided a platform for collaborative activities with 7 other BECOME partners representing Canada, Chile, France, Norway, Portugal, South Africa and Sweden including interactive workshopping sessions aimed at advancing the objectives of the Biodiversa+ BECOME project. At approximately 735 years old, the University of Coimbra is one of the oldest universities in the world,  established in 1290 and is recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage site owing to its seven centuries of scientific culture and intellectual heritage. The trip also included a study visit to the Castro Biosphere Reserve, which holds the most important cereal steppe area in Portugal and represents one of the most threatened rural landscapes of the Mediterranean region.