26.04.2012  |  Ankündigung
IPBES launched in Panama!
After several years of international negotiations, the final operational design of the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) was agreed in Panama last Friday. The new IPBES secretariat will be hosted in Bonn, Germany.

After several years of international negotiations, the final operational design of the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) was agreed in Panama last Friday. "Today, biodiversity won", said the chair of the meeting, Sir Robert Watson. "Over 90 governments successfully established the science-policy interface for all countries. Biodiversity and ecosystem services are essential for human wellbeing. This platform will generate the knowledge and build the capacity to protect them for this and future generations."

The new IPBES secretariat will be hosted in Bonn, Germany, who won the bid against South Korea, Kenya, France, and India.
DIVERSITAS was one of the key players over the last years to establish IPBES. Anne Larigauderie, Executive Director of DIVERSITAS, praised the decision to establish a Multidisciplinary Expert Panel (MEP) to perform the scientific and technical functions of IPBES. "This will ensure scientific independence, as well as the representation of the mix of disciplines necessary to address future requests from the IPBES Plenary". She also welcomed "the decision to start implementing IPBES now, through an ambitious intersessional work programme".

The core functions of IPBES will be:

• To identify and prioritise key scientific information needed for policymakers and to catalyse efforts to generate new knowledge;


• To perform regular and timely assessments of knowledge on biodiversity and ecosystem services and their interlinkages;


• To support policy formulation and implementation by identifying policy-relevant tools and methodologies; and


• To prioritise key capacity-building needs to improve the science-policy interface, and to provide and call for financial and other support for the highest-priority needs related directly to its activities.

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