Intergovernmental Panel on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services

Intergovernmental Panel on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services
Name	Intergovernmental Panel on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services
Abbreviation	IPBES
Formation	2012
Type	Intergovernmental organization
Purpose	Assessment of biodiversity and ecosystem services
Headquarters	Bonn, Germany
Parent organizations	United Nations Environment Programme, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization

Intergovernmental Panel on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services is an international scientific body that assesses the state of biodiversity, ecosystems, and the benefits they provide to people, drawing on expertise across conservation, agriculture, and development. It synthesizes evidence to inform decisions by states, multilateral institutions, indigenous peoples, and non-governmental organizations such as United Nations Environment Programme, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, Convention on Biological Diversity, World Bank, and World Health Organization. The Panel interfaces with regional bodies like the European Union, African Union, and Association of Southeast Asian Nations as well as scientific networks including the International Union for Conservation of Nature, Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research, and Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

Overview and mandate

The Panel's remit was defined to assess status, trends, and drivers of biodiversity and ecosystem services for policymakers, aligning with instruments such as the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Sustainable Development Goals, and the Nagoya Protocol, while supporting stakeholders like the World Trade Organization, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, and Food and Agriculture Organization. Its mandate covers the synthesis of peer-reviewed literature and indigenous knowledge from actors including ResearchGate, International Council for Science, Inter-American Development Bank, and academic institutions such as Harvard University, University of Oxford, University of Cape Town, and Peking University. The Panel produces assessments intended for ministers, negotiators, and institutions like G20, Commonwealth of Nations, Organization of American States, and ASEAN Regional Forum.

History and establishment

Discussions leading to the Panel occurred in the late 2000s among representatives from the Convention on Biological Diversity, United Nations Environment Programme, World Wide Fund for Nature, Conservation International, and national delegations from Brazil, India, Australia, United States, and China. Formal establishment followed intergovernmental negotiations involving the United Nations General Assembly, meetings of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, and endorsement by organizations including the United Nations Development Programme and Governing Council of UNEP. Early leadership involved scientists connected to institutions such as Smithsonian Institution, Max Planck Society, French National Centre for Scientific Research, and Royal Society.

Structure and governance

Governance comprises a plenary of member states, a bureau, and a secretariat hosted in Bonn, interacting with expert and stakeholder groups drawn from universities like Stanford University, University of Tokyo, and University of São Paulo, and research centres such as International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis and Stockholm Resilience Centre. The Panel's Multidisciplinary Expert Panel includes chairs from organizations like Zoological Society of London and Botanic Gardens Conservation International, while stakeholder engagement involves representatives from International Indigenous Forum on Biodiversity, World Farmers' Organisation, and IUCN. Funding and partnerships include contributions from national agencies such as German Federal Ministry for the Environment, UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, National Science Foundation (United States), and philanthropic entities like The Rockefeller Foundation and Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation.

Assessment reports and key findings

Major assessments produced by the Panel synthesize evidence comparable to reports from Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, drawing on datasets curated by Global Biodiversity Information Facility, International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List, Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, and large-scale studies from institutions such as Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, CSIRO, Centro de Investigacion Cientifica de Yucatan, and Chinese Academy of Sciences. Key findings have highlighted rates of species extinction comparable to past mass extinctions noted in literature from Paleontological Society, links between land-use change documented by Food and Agriculture Organization, and declines in pollination services studied by Royal Society. Assessments emphasize contributions of indigenous systems documented by United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues and integrate socioeconomic analyses relevant to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, International Monetary Fund, and World Bank.

Methodologies and knowledge integration

The Panel uses approaches that combine systematic review methods from Cochrane Collaboration, scenario analysis similar to techniques used by Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, and participatory mapping approaches practiced by United Nations University and International Labour Organization. It integrates indigenous and local knowledge through protocols informed by UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, partnerships with International Indigenous Forum on Biodiversity, and case studies from Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization, Sahel Club, and Pacific Islands Forum. Quantitative methods draw on modelling platforms used by Integrated Assessment Modelling Consortium and data standards from Group on Earth Observations.

Impacts on policy and global frameworks

Panel outputs inform negotiations under the Convention on Biological Diversity, shape targets in the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework, and have been cited in strategy documents from European Commission, African Union, ASEAN, and national plans of countries including Germany, Brazil, South Africa, and Japan. Reports have been used by multilateral development banks such as the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, and African Development Bank to justify investment shifts and by treaty bodies like the Ramsar Convention, CITES, and Montreal Protocol in cross-sectoral policymaking. Academic analyses in journals associated with Nature Publishing Group, Science, and Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences have linked Panel findings to policy instruments of G7, G20, and regional environmental agreements.

Criticisms and challenges

Critiques address issues raised by scholars at University of Cambridge, Yale University, and University of Queensland concerning representativeness of expertise, incorporation of local knowledge alongside datasets from Global Biodiversity Information Facility and IUCN Red List, and the balance between natural and socioeconomic sciences emphasized by institutions such as International Institute for Environment and Development and Stockholm Environment Institute. Operational challenges include funding dependencies involving European Commission, Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, and capacity constraints in regions represented by Small Island Developing States, Least Developed Countries, and organizations like Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme. Debates continue about normative framing raised in forums such as the United Nations General Assembly, academic conferences at Royal Geographical Society, and policy workshops convened by Chatham House.

Category:Intergovernmental organizations