This article was accepted into the corpus but its outbound wikilinks were never NER-processed — typical at the deepest BFS hop or when the run's entity cap was reached. No expansion funnel to show.
| Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) | |
|---|---|
| Name | Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services |
| Abbreviation | IPBES |
| Formation | 2012 |
| Type | Intergovernmental body |
| Headquarters | Bonn, Germany |
| Parent organization | United Nations Environment Programme |
Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) is an intergovernmental body convened to assess the state of global biodiversity and ecosystem services, provide policy-relevant guidance, and build capacity for decision-making. It emerged through multilateral negotiations and links with international agreements, drawing expertise from scientific academies, conservation agencies, and regional organizations.
The platform was created following deliberations involving Convention on Biological Diversity, United Nations Environment Programme, World Bank, United Nations General Assembly, and G20 member states, after proposals from national delegations and scientific institutions such as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research. Founding sessions included representatives from Germany, Kenya, Brazil, India, and Australia and were influenced by reports from the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, the Global Biodiversity Outlook, and advice from the International Union for Conservation of Nature. The decision to establish the body was adopted at meetings involving ministers, envoys, and delegations to global environmental fora and was formalized through resolutions that referenced the work of the United Nations Environment Assembly and consultations with regional groups like the African Union and the European Union.
The platform's mandate is to synthesize scientific, indigenous, and local knowledge to inform policy processes associated with instruments such as the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Its objectives include producing assessments, identifying knowledge gaps, and providing capacity-building support requested by member states, regional commissions, and international organizations like the Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Health Organization. It aims to align evidence with the needs of policymakers involved in initiatives led by the G7, the United Nations General Assembly, and treaty bodies, while engaging research councils, national academies such as the Royal Society, and expert panels convened by institutions like the National Academy of Sciences.
Governance is exercised through intergovernmental plenary sessions attended by representatives of member states, observers from organizations such as the United Nations Development Programme, and experts nominated by bodies including the European Commission and the Commonwealth Secretariat. Key organs include a plenary, a bureau, an expert panel, and a secretariat hosted in the city where the platform's headquarters is sited, involving partnerships with universities, research institutes, and regional nodes such as those in Nairobi and Brussels. Leadership rotates among nominees from countries like South Africa, Japan, Mexico, and Canada and is guided by procedures reflected in the statutes of related entities like the United Nations Environment Programme and decisions adopted at meetings of the Convention on Biological Diversity.
The platform produces global and thematic assessments that synthesize findings from thousands of studies and contributions from authors affiliated with universities, museums, and research councils, including work cited by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, and national science academies. Major outputs have influenced policy discussions at the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, informed agendas at the United Nations General Assembly, and provided evidence for negotiations under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. Reports address topics such as pollinators, land degradation, invasive species, and scenario assessments used by agencies like the World Bank and the Food and Agriculture Organization.
The platform develops methodological guidance, scenario frameworks, and conceptual tools that draw on approaches used by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, and disciplinary societies such as the Ecological Society of America. Technical support includes guidance on evidence synthesis, mapping of indigenous and local knowledge, and modelling tools aligned with practices from national agencies like the United States Geological Survey and networks such as the Global Biodiversity Information Facility. It issues toolkits for decision-makers and training modules implemented through partnerships with organizations such as the United Nations Institute for Training and Research and regional education institutions.
The platform engages with a broad coalition including the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the World Wide Fund for Nature, national research councils, indigenous organizations, and academic networks like the Global Young Academy. Stakeholder engagement mechanisms bring together representatives from multilateral development banks, civil society organizations, indigenous peoples' groups, and technical agencies such as the Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Health Organization to contribute to scoping, review, and capacity-building processes. Collaborative projects have involved regional development banks, scientific unions like the International Science Council, and intergovernmental commissions.
Funding is provided by voluntary contributions from member states, philanthropic foundations, and multilateral institutions including the European Commission, bilateral donors such as Germany and Sweden, and foundations with interests in biodiversity and resilience. Membership comprises national governments represented at plenary sessions, regional economic communities like the African Union and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, and observer organizations that include treaty secretariats and research networks such as the Global Biodiversity Information Facility and the International Union for Conservation of Nature.