Delegations from both ESP and the Young Ecosystem Services Specialists took part in the latest IPBES Plenary – IPBES 12 – in Manchester, 3-8 February.
At this plenary the landmark Summary for Policy Makers (SPM) of the methodological assessment report on the impacts and dependencies of business on biodiversity and nature’s contributions to people (‘The Business and Biodiversity Assessment’) was approved in a smooth, long and detailed discussion that involved delegates of 150 countries. The Business and Biodiversity Assessment is a landmark evaluation of the impacts on and dependencies of business and biodiversity, establishing a ground breaking mitigation hierarchy that will allow all business and financial sector organisations to navigate their dependencies and impacts over complex value chains. In this assessment two longstanding ESP members actively participated as Lead Authors, Wieteke Willemen in Chapter 2 and Luis Inostroza in Chapter 1. As in previous IPBES assessments, many of our ESP members actively contributed their expertise and knowledge as Contributing Authors and reviewers.
There are currently 3 ongoing IPBES assessments: The methodological assessment on monitoring biodiversity and nature’s contributions to people and the methodological assessment of integrated biodiversity-inclusive spatial planning and ecological connectivity both to be approved at the next 13th IPBES plenary in the fall of 2027, and the second Global Assessment to be approved at the 14th IPBES plenary in 2028. YESS is actively engaged in these processes, with two Fellows and one Expert nominated to contribute to the Spatial Planning and Ecological Connectivity Assessment and the Second Global Assessment.
There is opportunity for ESP and YESS members to contribute to these assessments either by 1) becoming a contributing author, and 2) participating in the review process of the assessment drafts. Create an account, register as an IPBES stakeholder and see IPBES guidance for more information on these opportunities and how to get involved. For more information feel free to contact the ESP Secretariat at [email protected].