2015•08•20     Tokyo

On 17–21 August 2015, UNU-IAS hosted the first meeting of nearly 140 nominated experts to launch an Asia-Pacific Regional Assessment ― a critical evaluation of the state of knowledge in biodiversity and ecosystem services ― conducted by the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES). Four UNU researchers have been nominated as lead authors for the Asia-Pacific Regional Assessment.

The aim of IPBES is to strengthen the links between science and policymaking by providing assessments, policy support, and capacity building. During this five-day meeting, discussion by the participating experts centred on the six chapters of the IPBES Conceptual Framework:

1. scope and methodology;
2. nature’s benefits to people and its impacts on quality of life;
3. status, trends of biodiversity and ecosystems underpinning nature’s benefits to people;
4. direct and indirect drivers of change in the context of quality of life;
5. interactions of nature and people and the role of institutions and governance; and
6. options for decision making across scales and sectors.

The entire assessment process will take three years, with the final report, including a summary for policymakers, scheduled for submission to the IPBES Plenary in 2018. Based on existing peer-reviewed literature, grey literature and indigenous and local knowledge, the report will serve as a valuable tool for effective formulation and implementation of policy related to the sustainable use of biodiversity and ecosystem services at the regional, sub-regional and national levels. The report will also become one of the building blocks for subsequent global assessments.