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| Ecosystem Services Partnership | |
|---|---|
| Name | Ecosystem Services Partnership |
| Type | International network |
| Founded | 2007 |
| Headquarters | Unknown |
| Region served | Global |
| Focus | Ecosystem services, natural capital, biodiversity |
Ecosystem Services Partnership is an international network that promotes research, policy uptake, and practice around ecosystem services and natural capital. It connects researchers, practitioners, policymakers, and funders across academic institutions, international organizations, and conservation NGOs to advance science-based decision-making. The Partnership fosters interdisciplinary exchange among actors linked to Convention on Biological Diversity, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, United Nations Environment Programme, World Bank, and European Commission initiatives.
The Partnership functions as a collaborative platform linking actors from Yale University, University of Cambridge, Stanford University, University of Oxford, and regional centers such as CIFOR and IUCN partner networks. It emphasizes integration of work from programs like MA (Millennium Ecosystem Assessment), IPBES (Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services), TEEB (The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity), Global Environment Facility, and Convention on Wetlands dialogues. By convening meetings and knowledge exchanges it seeks to bridge gaps between research at institutions such as Columbia University, University of Melbourne, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, and policy uptake at entities like OECD and Asian Development Bank.
The Partnership emerged in the mid-2000s amid rising international attention to ecosystem services following the publication of the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment and the launch of TEEB. Founding collaborators included academics affiliated with University of Minnesota, University of East Anglia, and practitioners from WWF, Conservation International, and regional development banks. Early milestones paralleled initiatives such as the Convention on Biological Diversity work programmes and the creation of IPBES, and convened regional forums inspired by Rio+20 dialogues. Over time it aligned with large-scale research consortia including LTER Network and projects funded by the European Research Council and national science agencies.
The Partnership is organized as a distributed network comprising working groups, regional hubs, and an advisory board with representatives from universities, NGOs, and multilateral banks. Members include scholars from Harvard University, University of British Columbia, ETH Zurich, and practitioners from The Nature Conservancy, BirdLife International, Wetlands International, and development agencies such as UNDP and FAO. Governance features collaborations with thematic programs like Society for Conservation Biology chapters and links to funders such as Gates Foundation-supported initiatives and regional research councils. Membership spans collaborators from research institutes like CSIRO and policy bodies including European Environment Agency and national ministries of environment.
Core activities include organizing international conferences modeled on events like the Convention on Biological Diversity conferences of the parties, regional workshops comparable to ASEAN symposiums, webinars in partnership with UNEP-WCMC, and thematic working groups aligned with IPCC assessment cycles. Programs support capacity building with training modules used by World Resources Institute, applied projects with IUCN commissions, and tools development inspired by methodologies from Natural Capital Project and ARIES consortiums. The Partnership also curates knowledge platforms and special issues in journals edited at institutions like Elsevier and Springer Nature.
Research promoted by the Partnership synthesizes methods from ecosystem valuation traditions associated with scholars at University of Wageningen, University of Bern, and University College London. It encourages application of spatial mapping methods used by NASA Earth science programs, modeling frameworks akin to InVEST, and participatory approaches practiced by Princeton University social-ecological teams. Methodological emphasis includes accounting frameworks introduced in reports by World Bank and indicators aligned with Sustainable Development Goals monitoring systems. Cross-disciplinary methods draw on economics from London School of Economics and ecology from Smithsonian Institution research programs.
The Partnership convenes regional platforms paralleling efforts such as the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization dialogues, African initiatives linked to African Union policy fora, and Asia-Pacific collaborations akin to APEC environmental tracks. Global linkages align with UNFCCC-related ecosystem-based adaptation discussions, coastal programs similar to UNESCO biosphere reserve networks, and marine projects with SPREP-like actors. Regional hubs cooperate with universities such as University of Cape Town, National University of Singapore, and Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile to localize global tools.
Impact claims include influencing policy discussions at CBD COP, contributing evidence to IPBES assessments, and supporting project design for multilateral funders including the Global Environment Facility. Critics question attribution of outcomes, the integration of indigenous knowledge systems represented by organizations like IWGIA and critiques raised in forums such as World Conservation Congress, and potential over-reliance on monetary valuation methods debated by scholars at SOAS University of London and activists associated with Friends of the Earth. Debates mirror broader tensions visible in discussions at Rio+20 and within TEEB follow-ups over commodification of nature versus rights-based approaches.
Category:Conservation organizations