By Natasha Gilbert of Nature magazine
Governments from more than 90 countries have agreed to establish an independent panel of scientists to assess the very latest research on the state of the planet's fragile ecosystems. The decision, which will create a body akin to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), was made in Panama City this weekend, after years of negotiations.
The Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) will be responsible for producing international scientific assessments on issues such as ocean acidification and pollination, to help policy-makers to tackle the global loss of biodiversity and degradation of ecosystems.
"I hope that this body will allow biodiversity to be better taken into account in sustainable-development strategies, as the IPCC has for climate change over the past 20 years," says Irina Bokova, director-general of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), based in Paris.
The themes of the panel's assessments, along with its overall budget, are to be decided at the newly established body's first plenary meeting, which is scheduled for 2013. But the IPBES will begin work immediately on reviewing existing assessments -- such as 2005's global Millennium Ecosystem Assessment -- to analyze their scope and impact on policy.
Biodiversity researchers welcomed the move. "Our community sees this as an extremely important step in order not to waste any time until the first plenary meets," says Anne Larigauderie, executive director of DIVERSITAS, an international biodiversity research program headquartered in Paris.
The annual IPBES budget has not yet been confirmed, but proposals range from US$5 million to $13 million. A trust fund will be set up to receive voluntary contributions committed by governments, United Nations organizations, the private sector and foundations.
Germany won the vote to host the IPBES secretariat, which will be headquartered in Bonn. The German government beat four other contenders, including India and South Korea, with its promise to provide annual contributions of $1.3 million for IPBES activities, and further funding for conferences, travel costs and capacity building in developing nations.
A multidisciplinary panel of experts will perform the IPBES's scientific and technical activities, and will not be controlled by the secretariat. "This will ensure scientific independence," says Larigauderie.
Governments will make the final decisions as to which scientists will sit on the panel, but scientific bodies such as DIVERSITAS will be invited to make nominations. Selection procedures have yet to be agreed. "It will be key to have a selection process for nominations based on the highest scientific credentials," says Larigauderie.
This article is reproduced with permission from the magazine Nature. The article was first published on April 23, 2012.
See what we're tweeting about
5 Comments
Add CommentI smell another boondoggle!! Where can I sign up for the free margaritas?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThe IPCC worked out so well others are copying their business plan:
1. Meet at an exotic expensive locale
2. Eat at an exotic expensive locale
3. Drink at an exotic expensive locale
4. Send taxpayers the bill
5. Attempt to shame them into submission when they question what you do there
6. Repeat as many times as you can get away with, then blame someone else.
When governments select scientists, it's ceases to be science. I would like to separation of science and state. Science with a political agenda is not science.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisWorld governmnets...tinpot dictators in Africa appointing incompetent bureacrats.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisGee whiz...when will they ask for money from the West?
Oh Great! We all know how well the IPCC turned out. That's all we need; another theocracy disguised as science.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisToday we have government scientists and government funded academics,ie data manipulators, agenda driven politicians and lackey science writers in the media leading the AGW, climate change, sustainable development cult like religion just as James Lovelock, "the maverick scientist who became a guru to the environmental movement with his “Gaia” theory of the Earth as a single organism, has admitted to being “alarmist” about climate change and says other environmental commentators, such as Al Gore, were too. As “an independent and a loner,” he said he did not mind saying “All right, I made a mistake.”—Ian Johnston, MSNBC, 23 April 2012."
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisOne can wonder if Mr.Lovelock will be a supporter of a new cult like biodiversity religion ?
E.Patrick Mosman