IPBES Members

The Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services has announced the current list of  92 members as of 1 September 2012.

Africa
Algeria, Botswana, Central African Republic (CAR), Chad, Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Liberia, Libya, Malawi, Morocco, Niger, Senegal, South Africa, Sudan, Swaziland, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, United Republic of Tanzania and Zimbabwe.

Asia and the Pacific
Bahrain, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, Fiji, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Japan, Pakistan, Philippines, Republic of Korea, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Yemen.

Eastern Europe
Albania, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Montenegro, Republic of Moldova, Russian Federation and Slovakia.

Latin America and the Caribbean
Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Saint Lucia, Trinidad and Tobago, and Uruguay.

Western Europe and Others
Andorra, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Israel, Monaco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and United States of America.

Biodiversity Across Sectors

"Review of the biodiversity requirements of standards and certification schemes: a snapshot of current practice" considers 36 environmental standards, sampled from eight business sectors and aims to provide an understanding of the treatment of biodiversity across sectors, highlight commonalities and differences, and help businesses and funding agencies to improve their internal processes.

IPBES During Intersessional Process

An International expert workshop titled "Policy support through relevant tools and methodologies in the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services convened in Bonn (Germany) from 7-9 December.

The workshop intended to stimulate new ideas and rationale on the IPBES policy support function and conceptual discussions arose on the relationships between the different policy tools (indicators, risk analysis and cost-benefit analysis, modelling and scenarios, assessments, networking) and the different policy functions (strategic policy development, policy implementation, policy evaluation, raising awareness) across the global, national and local scales.

Documents circulated and produced during the workshop are available at: www.bmu.de/ipbes

The next IPBES plenary session will be held in Panama City (Panama) on 16-20 April, 2012.

Agrobiodiversity and Law: Regulating Genetic Resources, Food Security and Cultural Diversity

This new book analyzes the impact of the legal system on agrobiodiversity and the emergence of the concept and its relationship with food security, nutrition, health, environmental sustainability and climate change. It assesses the impacts of key legal instruments, discussing the interface between the free software movement, the 'commons' movement and seeds, and the role of protected areas.

Toward IPBES/SOP-2

In a guest article for IISD-BPP, Neville Ash, Chief of the Biodiversity Unit, and Coordinator of the Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services Branch at UNEP discusses the work being done to operationalize the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES).

UNESCO: Biosphere Reserves and Climate Change

The proceedings of the high-level international conference titled "For life, for the future - Biosphere reserves and climate change," are now available. In the outcome document, the "Dresden Declaration," participants call for closer links among climate change mitigation and adaptation, poverty alleviation and the conservation of biological diversity. The Declaration was endorsed in November 2011 by the UNESCO General Conference.

CBD Quarterly Report

The Secretariat of CBD has published the 54th issue of the Quarterly Report on the Administration of the Convention, covering the period from 1 July-30 September 2011.

41st GEF Council

Meeting from 8-10 November, the Global Environment Facility (GEF) Council approved its work programme for the next year and initiated the search for a new CEO. The work programme includes 40 project concepts and nine programmatic approaches amounting to US$516.40 million, including 11 for the biodiversity focal area, eight on climate change, two on international waters, 23 on land degradation, and five on persistent organic pollutants (POPs).
Among administrative decisions, the Council evaluated administrative fees, expenses and project management costs and decided to establish a group of donors and recipients to prepare a proposal to reduce the total cost of the fee structure of GEF projects for the next Council meeting. The Council also approved minimum standards on environmental and social safeguards for GEF Agencies.

Members also discussed strengthening relationships with other conventions and adopted a decision asking the Secretariat to organize a meeting of biodiversity-related conventions with the Secretariat of CBD to facilitate the coordination of their priorities for inclusion in the GEF-6 programming strategy.

Chair's Summary
41st GEF Council Meeting Website

CBD: Preparations for COP-11

The 15th meeting of the CBD's Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA) considered, among other items, a draft set of indicators for monitoring implementation of the CBD Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 and measuring progress towards the 2020 Aichi Biodiversity Targets. Participants also adopted the following eight recommendations to be forwarded to the COP-11:1) draft capacity-building strategy for the Global Taxonomy Initiative (GTI);
2) indicators and other tools and guidance for assessing progress in implementing the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020;
3) ways and means to support ecosystem restoration;
4) proposals on ways and means to address gaps in international standards regarding invasive alien species (IAS) introduced as pets, aquarium and terrarium species, and as live bait and live food;
5) implications of changes in the water cycle and freshwater resources for the implementation of the work programmes on inland water biodiversity;
6) the sustainable use of biodiversity, including revised recommendations of the Liaison Group on Bushmeat, options for small-scale food and income alternatives, and a report on how to improve sustainable use in a landscape perspective;
7) Arctic biodiversity; and
8) ways and means to improve SBSTTA effectiveness.

The draft capacity-building strategy for the GTI will be considered by SBSTTA-16 scheduled for 30 April-4 May. The other recommendations will be submitted to COP-11, to be held from 8-19 October 2012, in Hyderbad (India).

ISD RS Coverage of Meeting

Identifying Environment-Species Links

The Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) Data Portal has contributed to a study of over 300,000 mammal records from the US to assess the importance of climate and land cover on species presence at various scales. In a paper published in PloS One, the study's authors suggest that these findings are critical to understanding how to design protected area policies and wildlife corridors.
GBIF Press Release

New Publication on Biodiversity Law and Policy

The World Future Council (WFC) and the Center for International Sustainable Development Law (CISDL) have published a new report entitled “Crafting Future Just Biodiversity Laws andPolicies”. It includes a survey of the world’s best biodiversity laws from Costa Rica, Norway, Bhutan and South Africa, as well as an analysis of successful sectoral biodiversity policies which address marine, forest and agricultural biodiversity.

UNESCO: New Biodiversity Initiative

This interdisciplinary initiative aims to allow UNESCO to cooperate with other members of the UN system through the ‘One UN initiative for Biodiversity’ in support of efforts by governments to implement their biodiversity commitments and to strengthen the intergovernmental science-policy interface on biodiversity and ecosystem services. It will contribute to UNESCO’s efforts towards building inclusive, green societies and economies by investing in human development and social capital – one of the main themes at UNCSD (Rio+20).
UNESCO Biodiversity Initiative Website

UN/GA Second Committee: General Discussions

The Second Committee (Economic and Financial) of the UN General Assembly (UN/GA) has concluded its general discussion on sustainable development (Agenda item 19) covering ten sub-items, including on small island developing States (SIDS), climate change, disaster reduction, desertification, biodiversity, renewable energy, and implementation of Agenda 21. The Committee will meet on 10 November 2011 to begin consideration of draft texts on these issues.

Statement of UNGA President
Statement of Sha Zukang, Introducing UN Secretary-General's Reports
UN Summary, 31 October
UN Summary, 1 November
UN Summary, 3 November
Draft Texts under Consideration

FAO: EIA Guidelines

The new Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Guidelines for FAO Field Projects includes climate change and biodiversity considerations, as well as a screening tool to identify projects that may require a fully-fledged EIA; guidance to FAO staff on EIAs; FAO standards for documenting and reporting; and roles and responsibilities in conducting an EIA.

European Commission: Biodiversity and Health

The European Commission has produced a policy brief that summarizes scientific information on the benefits biodiversity provides for human health and offers policy recommendations. In particular, the brief discusses medicines from natural products, food security, infectious diseases, green spaces and urban biodiversity, and uncertainties and complexity.

Arab League: Desertification and Biodiversity MEAs

The Secretariat of the League of Arab States organized the meeting of the "Arab Working Group on the implementation of biodiversity and desertification related [MEAs]," from 25-27 September. Participants heard reports on work over the past year, as well as proposals from the MEAs about plans for their future activities relevant to the region.

Ramsar Press Release

David Sheppard Discusses Biodiversity

IISD Reporting Services recently featured a guest article titled: "Value Island Biodiversity – It's Our Life" by David Sheppard, Director General, Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP).

IPBES: 1st Plenary Session

Concluding with an invitation for institutions and governments to submit proposals for the institutional and physical hosts of the Secretariat, the 1st session of a plenary meeting on the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) considered a number of legal issues regarding its establishment. A key question discussed by delegates was whether UN/GA resolution 65/162, on the establishment of IPBES, actually established the platform. States may make submissions on the work programme until 15 December. Governments and institutions  are invited to submit their proposals for hosting the platform to the Chair of the Bureau by 15 January 2012, for consideration at the 2nd session of the Plenary.

IISD-RS Coverage

UNEP: Forests and Orangutans

UNEP has released a report under the Great Apes Survival Partnership (GRASP), titled “The Orangutan and Economics of Forest Conservation in Sumatra.” It makes recommendations for conserving orangutan populations in Sumatra, including: - designating new forested areas in Sumatra for REDD+ ;
- further resource development, including palm oil plantations, should be concentrated on land with low current use value; and
- establishing income-generating alternatives for areas that are important for biodiversity, such as sustainable tourism.

CBD: Quarterly Report

The CBD Secretariat has published the 53rd issue of the Quarterly Report on the Administration of the Convention, covering the period from 1 April-30 June 2011. It contains a summary of key activities in implementing the decisions of the Conference of the Parties and other relevant matters during this period.