Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services An introduction Axel Paulsch Institute for Biodiversity Network e.v.
Rio Conventions UNFCCC (Climate Convention) IPCC UNCCD (Desert Convention) CBD (Biodiv Convention)
Main idea Loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services is ongoing Political decisons should be based on best knowledge available should provide assessments with policy options
History of the process Millenium Ecosystem Assessment 2001-2005 International Mechanism of Scientific Expertise on Biodiversity (IMoSEB) 2005-2007 -Concept by UNEP 2007 3 Multistakeholder Meetings 2008-2010 First part of founding plenary 2011 (Nairobi) Second part of plenary in April 2012 (Panama) First plenary in January 2013 (Bonn) Second plenary Dec. 2013 (Antalya) Third plenary January 2015 (Bonn) Fourth plenary February 2016 (Kuala Lumpur) Fifth plenary March 2017 (Bonn)
Panama/Bonn1-Meeting Achievements was established as independent intergovernmental body (127 member states, including Germany) All UN-States can become members Secretariat established in Bonn (UNEP employes staff)
Structures Plenary Main decision making body Government representatives Membership open to all UN-States Open for observers (no voting rights) Elects officers Determines work programme Allocates money Approves assessment summaries
Plenary Structures Consensus Principle in matters of substance Occasional Majority Voting possible in matters of procedure
Bureau Structures Oversees administrative functions Chair and 4 Vice-Chairs plus 5 administrative officers (regionally balanced between 5 UN-regions, chair rotating after 3 years) First chair: Zakri Abdul Hamid (Malaysia) Second Chair: Robert Watson (UK)
Structures Multidisciplinary Expert Panel MEP Carry out scientific functions 5 scientists from each of the 5 UN-regions plus chair and vice-chairs Chairs of scientific bodies of other MEA as observers
Structures Multidisciplinary Expert Panel MEP Multidisciplinary Experts Panel (MEP) 25 Members (gender and disciplinary balance) Plenary of Member States (127) Each UN Region nominates 5 Experts Illustration by Malte Timpte
Antalya ( 2) Achievements: Executive Secretary Dr. Anne Larigauderie (France)
Antalya ( 2) Achievements: Work Programme 2014-2018 Four main work areas: assessments capacity building knowledge generation policy tools
work follows this Conceptual Framework:
work programme 2014-2018 Objectives and associated deliverables Objective 1: Capacity building & knowledge foundations of the Platform Objective 2: Assessments on subregional, regional and global levels Objective 3: Thematic and methodological assessments Objective 4: Communications & evaluation of the Platform s activities
work programme 2014-2018 Objectives and associated deliverables Objective 1: Capacity building & knowledge foundations of the Platform Objective 2: Assessments on subregional, regional and global levels Objective 3: Thematic and methodological assessments Objective 4: Communications & evaluation of the Platform s activities Objective 1: Capacity building & knowledge foundations of the Platform (a) Identify capacity-building needs to implement work programme (b) Meet capacity building needs (c) Procedures, approaches for participatory processes for working with indigenous and local knowledge systems (d) Knowledge and data needs for policymaking catalyzing knowledge generation and networking
work programme 2014-2018 Objectives and associated deliverables Objective 1: Capacity building & knowledge foundations of the Platform Objective 2: Assessments on subregional, regional and global levels Objective 3: Thematic and methodological assessments Objective 4: Communications & evaluation of the Platform s activities Objective 2: Assessments on subregional, regional and global levels (a)guide on assessments (b)regional/subregional assessments on BES (c) Global assessment on BES
work programme 2014-2018 Objectives and associated deliverables Objective 1: Capacity building & knowledge foundations of the Platform Objective 2: Assessments on subregional, regional and global levels Objective 3: Thematic and methodological assessments Objective 4: Communications & evaluation of the Platform s activities Objective 3: Thematic & methodological assessments (a) FTA on pollinators, pollination and food production (b) 3 thematic assessments: (a) land degradation and restoration (b) invasive alien species (c) sustainable use and conservation of BES (c) FTA & guide on policy support tools and methodologies for scenario analysis and modelling of BES (d) Assessment & guide on policy support tools and methodologies regarding the diverse conceptualization of values of BES
work programme 2014-2018 Objectives and associated deliverables Objective 1: Capacity building & knowledge foundations of the Platform Objective 2: Assessments on subregional, regional and global levels Objective 3: Thematic and methodological assessments Objective 4: Communications & evaluation of the Platform s activities Objective 4: Communications & evaluation of the Platform s activities (a) Catalogue of assessments (b) Information and data management plan (c) Catalogue of policy support tools and methodologies (d) Set of communication, outreach and engagement strategies, products and processes (e) Evaluation of the Platform s activities
Work Programme 2014-2018 Where do the topics come from? Everybody can propose topics to the secretariat Set of criteria e.g. availability of data, relevance for human wellbeing MEP does a priorisation of topics, Plenary decides Best chances for proposals that come from Multilateral Environmental Agreements (e.g. CBD, UNCCD, Ramsar Convention, CITES.) In the recent work programme e.g. CBD asked for global assessment on biodiversity, UNCCD proposed assessment on land degradation and restoration
Work Programme 2014-2018 Who does the work? Expert groups/task forces: time bound, task specific, one for each deliverable, chaired by MEP members, consisting of individual experts, nominated by members or stakeholders Technical support units: institutions could provide technical support (e.g. staff) Lead authors Co-authors Contributing authors for assessments Reviewers for all deliverables
Work Programme 2014-2018? How is an assessment done? Prescoping: Done by MEP (e.g. relevance, data availability, existing assessments) In depth scoping: Done by expert group (where is which data available, which questions have to be answered in detail, how could assessments chapters look like, schedule for development.) Selection of lead authors, co-authors, contributing, assignment of tasks Collection of input Several draft versions and review processes Approval by Plenary Summary for policy makers can be distributed
Work Programme 2014-2018 Where does the money come from? Voluntary funding only!!! Direct payments into Trust Fund, administered by UNEP No earmarking of payments In-kind contributions (e.g. hosting of meetings) Can be given for specific tasks (up to US$ 300.000,--) Highest contributions so far: Norway, Germany, UK, US, Netherlands, Japan, France, Sweden, Australia, Switzerland.. Budget for 2015/2016 approved and high enough to start work programme
Progress at 3 (Bonn 2015) How to deal with products (clearance process): Acceptance of the Platform s reports at a session of the Plenary signifies that the material has not been subjected to section-by-section or line-by-line discussion and agreement by the Plenary but nevertheless presents a comprehensive and balanced view of the subject matter. Adoption of the Platform s reports is a process of section-by-section (and not line-by-line) endorsement at a session of the Plenary. Approval of the Platform s summaries for policymakers signifies that the material has been subject to detailed, line-by-line discussion and agreement by consensus at a session of the Plenary. In general, Platform reports are accepted and their summaries for policymakers are approved by consensus by the Plenary. In the case of the synthesis report, the Plenary adopts the full report, section by section, and approves its summary for policymakers.
Progress at 3 (Bonn 2015) Stakeholder Engagement Strategy (SES): Who is a stakeholder How to engage different types of stakeholders (scientists, civil society, NGOs, indigenous peoples ) Open-ended stakeholder network as one major partner Communication and outreach strategy: How to make visible How to spread results and products Which media can be used New MEP elected for 3 years Start of regional assessments
Progress at 4 (2016) Finalization of first products (pollinator assessment, models and scenarios assessment) Starting of global assessment on biodiversity and ecosystem services (until 2019) Not enough funding to start assessment on invasive alien species (11 Mio missing) Rotation of chairmanship
Progress at 5 (2017) Guidance on integration of indigenous and local knowledge Starting to plan second work programme (from 2019 onwards) Consens on how to pronounce!!!! Still not enough funding to start any new assessment (3 Mio missing) No consensus about budget for 2017/2018, instead only budget for 2017 until 6 to continue work Enhanced observer status for EU
Options for participation Plenary is open for everybody Everybody and every organisation can comment on the documents
Options for participation Everybody can propose topics for future assessments (along certain criteria) MEP calls for experts, lead authors for assessment reports and reviewers National delegations may include scientists
German delegation to 2
GCE volunteers at 5.can be fun..
Next meeting 6, March 18th-24th., 2018, Medellin, Colombia
More information on : http://www.ipbes.net All photo credits to IISD
Biodiv in 2017/18 CBD SBSTTA 21, Dec. 2017, Montreal 6, March 2018, Medellin, Colombia CBD SBSTTA 22, July 2018, Montreal CBD COP 14, Nov. 2018, Sharm el Sheick, Egypt See you at these meetings!!
Work Programme 2014-2018 Deliverables Objective 1: Strengthen the capacity and knowledge foundations of the sciencepolicy interface to implement key functions of the Platform 1 a: Priority capacity-building-needs to implement the Platform s work programme matched with resources through catalysing financial and in-kind support (starting 2014, ongoing) 1 b: Capacities needed to implement the Platform s work programme developed (starting 2014, ongoing) 1 c: Procedures, approaches and participatory processes for working with indigenous and local knowledge systems (starting 2014, preliminary procedures by 2015, ongoing) 1 d: Priority knowledge and data needs for policymaking addressed through catalysing efforts to generate new knowledge and networking (starting 2014, ongoing)
Work Programme 2014-2018 Deliverables Objective 2: Strengthen the science-policy interface on biodiversity and ecosystem services at and across subregional, regional and global levels 2 a: Guide on production and integration of assessments from and across all scales (starting 2014 ready 2015, used from then on) 2 b: Regional/subregional assessments on biodiversity and ecosystem services (scoping starting 2014, ass. starting 2015, ready 2017) 2 c: Global assessment on biodiversity and ecosystem services (scoping starting 2015, ass. starting 2016, ready 2018)
Work Programme 2014-2018 Deliverables Objective 3: Strengthen the science-policy interface on biodiversity and ecosystem services with regard to thematic and methodological issues 3 a: One fast track thematic assessment of pollinators, pollination and food production (starting 2014, ready end of 2015) 3 b: Three thematic assessments, i.e., one each on land degradation and restoration, invasive alien species and sustainable use and conservation of biodiversity (first starting 2014, ready end of 2016, other two starting 2015, ready end of 2017) 3 c: Policy support tools and methodologies for scenario analysis and modelling of biodiversity and ecosystem services based on a fast track assessment and a guide ( guide by August 2015, ready end of 2017) 3 d: Policy support tools and methodologies regarding the diverse conceptualization of values of biodiversity and nature s benefits to people including ecosystem services based on an assessment and a guide (starting 2014, ready end of 2017)
Work Programme 2014-2018 Deliverables Objective 4: Communicate and evaluate Platform activities, deliverables and findings 4 a: Catalogue of relevant assessments (starting 2014, ongoing) 4 b: Development of an information and data management plan (starting 2014, ongoing) 4 c: Catalogue of policy support tools and methodologies (starting 2014, ongoing) 4 d: Set of communication, outreach and engagement strategies, products and processes (starting 2014, ongoing) 4 e: Reviews of the effectiveness of guidance, procedures, methods and approaches to inform future development of the Platform (starting 2014, ongoing)