The webinar will take place on June 23, 2016 from 8-9 AM EST.

There will be a Q&A session at the end of the webinar. If you have any questions now, please submit them to tsu.capacitybuilding@ipbes.net.

Register now: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/3755719889997740033

If you are unable to join us for the webinar, a recording will be available afterwards on ipbes.net/webinars.

To learn more about the pollination assessment, visit IPBES Pollination. The summary for policymakers is available here.

Photo Credit: normanack

• Land Degradation and Restoration
• Africa – Regional Assessment on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services
• Asia Pacific – Regional Assessment on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services
• Americas – Regional Assessment on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services
• Europe and Central Asia – Regional Assessment on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services

Interested experts can review as many chapters of as many assessments as they would like. Please note that these drafts are confidential. They cannot be cited, quoted, or circulated.

To join the review: 

1. Create or log in to your IPBES user account.
2. Register to review the first drafts. Your registration will be reviewed, and you will be granted access to the draft chapters within 48 hours.
3. After you have been granted access, you will receive dedicated “Review Comment Templates” tailored to each assessment. Using the template, please email your comments to the respective IPBES technical support units. Comments not using the template will not be accepted.
   • Land degradation and restoration assessment: tsu.landdegradation@ipbes.net
   • Africa assessment: tsu.africa@ipbes.net
   • Asia Pacific assessment: ipbes-tsu-ap@iges.or.jp
   • Americas assessment: tsu.americas@ipbes.net
   • Europe and Central Asia assessment: andre.mader@ips.unibe.ch and amor.torre@ips.unibe.ch

Reviews are due by July 11, 2016. All names of reviewers who provide comments will be published on the IPBES website, and acknowledged in the Annex of the respective assessment report.

Photo Credit: Alexander Cahlenstein

The webinar will take place on April 7, 2016 from 9-10 AM EST.

Key topics covered will include: getting started as an author and assessing materials; handling the review process; identifying and accessing data and other knowledge sources; and dealing with knowledge gaps.

There will be a Q&A session at the end of the webinar. If you have any questions now, please submit them to tsu.capacitybuilding@ipbes.net.

Register now: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/9169402881751031044

If you are unable to join us for the webinar, a recording will be available afterwards on ipbes.net.

Photo Credit: Kristian Mollenborg

DEADLINE: April 25

Biodiversity and the ecosystem services it provides are disappearing at unprecedented rates. Around the world, policymakers are making decisions that affect biodiversity and they seek additional scientific knowledge in order to understand the consequences at local, regional, and global scales. The Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) is an independent intergovernmental body dedicated to bridging this knowledge gap to improve the use of science in decision making at all policy levels.

IPBES is currently seeking experts in natural science, social science, policy, and/or indigenous and local knowledge systems to participate in two important processes addressing biodiversity and ecosystem services.

The Ecological Society of America is assisting the U.S. government in identifying U.S. experts and fellows for the following processes:

1. A Global Assessment on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services. The first authors meeting will be held on August 15-19, 2016 in Bonn, Germany. There will be more in subsequent years. Both experts and fellows will participate in this assessment process.  This assessment will assess the state of knowledge on the interaction between humans and nature, including biodiversity and the structure and functioning of ecosystems.  In doing so, it will strengthen the science-policy interface on biodiversity, ecosystem functioning and ecosystem goods and services by providing the knowledge and policy-support tools needed for informed decision-making by Governments, the private sector and civil society.
2. A workshop to scope the thematic assessment of the Sustainable Use of Biodiversity. The meeting will be held on August 2-4, 2016, Bonn, Germany. Only experts are invited to participate in the scoping process.  Recognizing that human use of wild species is a dominant driver of change in biodiversity, this assessment will assess approaches to enhancing the sustainable use of wild species.  Such uses include food and medicine, raw materials and energy supplies, and ornamental materials. The assessment will take an integrative approach, recognizing the inseparable unity of nature and human culture.

HOW TO APPLY (EXPERTS):

Expert nominees must meet the following criteria:

• 3 years of experience in related issues
• Products or publications relevant to the deliverable
• Ability to support their travel to meetings
• Ability to participate in person at the meeting for the expert group

ESA invites interested experts to send the following information to ipbes@esa.org.

For the Global Scoping, use this subject line: “Firstname lastname global IPBES”

For the Sustainable Use of Biodiversity, use this subject line:  “Firstname lastname sustainable IPBES”

In the text of the email:

• Full name, gender, nationality, address, phone number, email address
• Current position and name of employer
• Education (degree(s), relevant to the deliverable selected)
• Publications and products relevant to the deliverable selected (maximum 5)
• Supporting statement (400 words maximum) why you are interested in contributing to this deliverable, and contribution you would like to make
• Confirmation that you have financial support for your travel and can attend meetings during the periods listed above

Attached to the email: a brief resume/c.v. (2-3 pages).

IPBES FELLOWSHIP PILOT PROGRAM: 

The IPBES young fellows pilot program provides an  opportunity for individuals in the early stages of their careers in the area of social, economic and biological sciences, policy development and indigenous and local knowledge, related to biodiversity and ecosystem services.

Early career experts interested in participating in the global assessment process should apply through the IPBES Fellowship Pilot Program. This is a pro bono opportunity to become join teams of international experts in drafting the sections of the global assessment.

The Ecological Society of America is NOT accepting nominations for the IPBES Fellowship Pilot Program. Fellows should be nominated by their own institutions or universities, not by ESA. These nominations should be submitted to IPBES directly.

Fellows should ensure that they:

• are available for the August 15-19, 2016 meeting
• are able to make a commitment of up to 15 percent of their time in the assessment period
• are able to fund their own travel, or have institutional travel support.

Click here to learn more and for the application form.

APPLICATION PROCESS:

ESA will review your information.  In order for ESA to review your qualifications in time, we need your information no later than April 25. We will not be able to review nominations received after that date.

Individuals who meet the criteria listed above will be invited to submit their applications to IPBES via an online web form. ESA will inform the U.S. government that we have recommended your application.

We recognize that this is a very challenging schedule, but believe U.S. engagement in IPBES is important and hope that you will volunteer.

If you have general questions about IPBES or about the expert nomination process, please email them to ipbes@esa.org. If you have questions about the fellowship process, please contact tsu.capacitybuilding@ipbes.net.

Thank you for your interest and support of this important international effort!

Photo Credit: Moyan Brenn

Government: Plan for ecosystem services

Natural and managed ecosystems provide food, water, and other valuable services to human societies. Unnoticed by many in the scientific community, the values associated with ecosystem services have been integrated into U.S. government policy. A recent administration memo (1) put U.S. federal agencies on notice: The clock is ticking to integrate ecosystem services into their planning and decision-making. By 30 March 2016, agencies are to describe approaches for “conducting decision-relevant and scale-specific ecosystem-services assessments, as well as plans for effective monitoring and evaluation.” The administration stresses that such policies may be most effective when incorporated into existing decision-making frameworks.

As members of the Ecological Society of America’s (ESA’s) Steering Committee on the Intergovernmental Platform for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) (2), we urge U.S. federal agencies to consider how this recent mandate provides opportunities to leverage the global impact of IPBES while achieving national policy objectives. IPBES, which was established with support from the United States but not mentioned in the administration’s memo, provides scientific assessments of the state of biodiversity and ecosystem services (3). At its fourth plenary, one month before the administration’s deadline, IPBES will likely approve the first of its global ecosystem service assessments.

We encourage U.S. federal agencies to familiarize themselves with these assessments and the ongoing IPBES work program. Creating a cross-agency policy agenda for understanding, monitoring, and managing ecosystem services in the United States would reduce the risk of scattered and inconsistent national-level policy mechanisms and would align U.S. policy and IPBES goals. Seeking input from the country’s scientific community would help build a secure foundation for these policies and offer U.S. scientists an opportunity to contribute their knowledge to the scientific foundations upon which effective environmental policy rests.

Lucas N. Joppa,¹* James W. Boyd,² Clifford S. Duke,³ Stephanie Hampton,⁴ Stephen T. Jackson,⁵ Katharine L. Jacobs,⁶ Karim-Aly S. Kassam,⁷ Harold A. Mooney,⁸ Laura A. Ogden,⁹ Mary Ruckelshaus,¹⁰ Jason F. Shogren^11
1Microsoft Research, Redmond, WA 98052, USA. ² Resources for the Future, Washington, DC 20036, USA. ³Ecological Society of America, Washington, DC 20036, USA. ⁴Washington State University, Center for Environmental Research, Education and Outreach, Pullman, WA 99164, USA. ⁵United States Geological Survey, Southwest Climate Science Center, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA. ⁶University of Arizona, Center for Climate Adaptation Science and Solutions, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA. ⁷Cornell University, Department of Natural Resources, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA. ⁸Stanford University, Department of Biological Sciences, Stanford, CA 94305, USA. ⁹Dartmouth University, Department of Anthropology, Hanover, NH 03755, USA. ¹⁰The Natural Capital Project, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA. ¹¹University of Wyoming, College of Business, Laramie, WY 82071, USA.

*Corresponding author. E-mail: lujoppa@microsoft.com

References
1. S. Donovan, C. Goldfuss, J. Holdren, “Incorporating Ecosystem Services into Federal Decision Making” (2015); www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/omb/memoranda/2016/m-16-01.pdf.

2. ESA, IPBES (https://esa.org/ipbes/).

3. IPBES (http://ipbes.net/).

Photo Credit: BLM Oregon.

The draft scoping report for the Global Assessment of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (Deliverable 2c) has been completed. This draft report is available online here.

IPBES would greatly appreciate your help in the scoping process. We seek your views on the proposed approach, especially from the point of view of users of the future assessment arising from this scoping report.

Please use this feedback template to provide comments, and email your feedback to hien.ngo@ipbes.net by November 3, 2015.

Photo Credit: Dom Dada

The Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) has an exciting opportunity for experts to participate in the scoping process online. IPBES is holding an online conference to scope the following two assessments:

• (a) the thematic of assessment invasive alien species and their control (Deliverable 3bii)
• (b) the thematic assessment of sustainable use and conservation of biodiversity and strengthening capacities and tools (Deliverable 3biii)

The e-conference will take place in three sessions over three weeks from September 7-25th, 2015. It will be implemented as an internet forum/discussion board. Experts will discuss various elements relevant to the scoping reports by posting, reading, and replying on structured discussion boards. At the end of each week, a synthesis report will be prepared based on comments and discussions held during the week. The next week’s discussions will build on the discussions of the previous week. By the end of the third week, the intention is to have a draft that will resemble as much as possible the structure of the final scoping reports.

The e-conference will cover the following topics and more within each assessment:

• relevant policy questions, scope, rationale and utility of the assessments
• an issue analysis of what substantive items would need to be covered
• indicators, metrics and data sets
• relevant aspects of indigenous and local knowledge systems
• relevant stakeholders and initiatives and strategic partnerships
• capacity building needs

Register to participate here! Once the registered account has been approved, the IPBES Secretariat will send a confirmation e-mail and further information on the e-conference and scoping process.

For more information, please visit the IPBES announcement here.

Photo Credit: Kerry Britton, U.S. Forest Service.

Please see below for the list of American experts, and links to the full list of chosen experts.

Congratulations to the chosen nominees!

Deliverable 2(b): Regional assessment of biodiversity and ecosystem services for Africa

Chapter 3: Status, trends and future dynamics of biodiversity and ecosystems underpinning nature’s benefits to people

• Amy Dunham (Rice University) – Lead author

Deliverable 2(b): Regional assessment of biodiversity and ecosystem services and functions for the Americas

Chapter 1: Setting the scene

•  Kelly Garbach (Loyola University Chicago) – Lead Author
• Judith Weis (Rutgers University) – Lead Author (Invasive Alien Species)

Chapter 3: Status, trends and future dynamics of biodiversity and ecosystems underpinning nature’s benefits to people

• Jeannine Cavender-Bares (University of Minnesota) – Coordinating Lead Author (Sustainable Use of Biodiversity)

Chapter 4: Direct and indirect drivers of change in the context of different perspectives of quality of life

• Eileen Helmer (USDA Forest Service International Institute of Tropical Forestry) – Coordinating Lead Author
• Forest Isbell (University of Minnesota) – Lead Author (Land Degradation and Restoration)

Chapter 5: Integrated and cross:scale analysis of interactions of the natural world and human society

• Brian Klatt – Coordinating Lead Author

Chapter 6: Options for governance, institutional arrangements and private and public decision making across scales and sectors

• Jayne Belnap (U.S. Geological Survey) – Lead Author (Land Degradation and Restoration)

Young Fellow

• Laura Thompson (U.S. Geological Survey, National Climate Change and Wildlife Science Center)

Deliverable 2(b): Regional assessment of biodiversity and ecosystem services for Asia and the Pacific

• No U.S. experts chosen.

Deliverable 2(b): Regional assessment on biodiversity and ecosystem services for Europe and Central Asia

• No U.S. experts chosen.

Deliverable 3(b)(i): Thematic assessment on land degradation and restoration assessment experts

Chapter 3: Direct and indirect drivers of land degradation and restoration

• Nicole Barger (University of Colorado) – Coordinating Lead Author
• Forest Isbell (University of Minnesota) – Lead Author (Land degradation and restoration assessment expert working as thematic experts within the four regional assessments)

Chapter 8: Decision support to address land degradation and support restoration of degraded land

• Jayne Belnap (U.S. Geological Survey) – Lead Author (Land degradation and restoration assessment expert working as thematic experts within the four regional assessments)

For a complete list of U.S. experts currently serving on IPBES panels, please visit the U.S. engagement page.

Photo Credit: Royce Bair.

The IPBES report on policy support tools and methodologies for scenario analysis and modelling of biodiversity and ecosystem services (Deliverable 3c) is in its second phase of development. A second-order draft and a summary for policy makers is now available for review by governments and experts from May 15 to July 9 2015.

IPBES invites governments and prospective expert reviewers with relevant knowledge and/or experience to register to review one or more chapters of the report. After the publication of the report, all names of expert reviewers will be published on the website and acknowledged in the annexes of the report.

Experts can download a registration form here. Please send the completed form to the Technical Support Unit of Deliverable3c: tsu-ipbes.scenarios@pbl.nl. Registered experts will then receive login details with which they can download the report. The login details will be shared within two working days.

IPBES is implementing a pilot fellowship program on assessments. Currently, 32 pro bono fellowships are being offered to enable young scientists to take part in the work of IPBES. Fellowships are being offered for the four regional and sub-regional assessments (Africa, Americas, Asia-Pacific and Europe and Central Asia) and the thematic assessment on land degradation and restoration. These will begin in summer 2015 and run until the end of 2017.

Teams of leading experts from a range of disciplines and from all parts of the world will write the aforementioned assessments; the selected fellows will work and interact as members of these teams. Through their involvement in IPBES, fellows will gain an understanding of a major assessment process, pressing environmental, policy, social and economic issues facing our world, and options for action. Fellows will also have the opportunity to network with a wide range of colleagues, which could be of great value in their future careers.

For more information, including the application form, selection criteria, and assessment information, please visit: http://www.ipbes.net/news/660-nomination-fellows.html

Photo Credit: Toni Fish