Intergovernmental science-policy platform on biodiversity and ecosystem services (IPBES)/Plate-forme intergouvernementale sur la biodiversité et les services écosystémiques

What is IPBES?
IPBES stands for “intergovernmental science-policy platform on biodiversity and ecosystem services”. IPBES will be an interface between the scientific community and policymakers that aims at building capacity for and strengthen the use of science in policymaking.

Do we need an IPBES?
Many organizations and initiatives contribute to the science-policy interface on biodiversity and ecosystem services. There is, however, currently no global mechanism recognized by both the scientific and policy communities that brings information together and synthesizes and analyses it for decision-making in a range of policy forums such as the global environmental conventions and development policy dialogues.

Following a gap analysis and three intergovernmental and multi-stakeholders meetings convened between 2008 and 2010, it was determined that there was a need for a new platform to fill in the gaps in the science-policy interface on biodiversity and ecosystem services.

What will IPBES do?
IPBES will respond to requests for scientific information related to biodiversity and ecosystem services from Governments, relevant multilateral environmental agreements and United Nations bodies, as well as other relevant stakeholders. Governments have agreed that the four main functions of IPBES will be:

• - To identify and prioritize 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;
• - To prioritize 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.

In French - source Wikipédia (30 avril 2012):

"L'IPBES, sous l'égide du Programme des Nations Unies pour l’Environnement (PNUE) joue un rôle d'interface et de vulgarisation scientifique entre l'expertise scientifique et les gouvernements.
Il doit aussi renforcer les moyens des pays émergents et favoriser les accords multilatéraux prenant en compte la biodiversité ;
Il coordonne le travail scientifiques, des ONG et du secteur privé sur les questions de biodiversité ;
Il doit enfin également catalyser les fonds d'aides aux évaluations de la connaissance sur la biodiversité.

C'est en quelque sorte de pendant du Groupe d'experts intergouvernemental sur l'évolution du climat (GIEC) pour la biodiversité. Ces deux structures seront d'ailleurs amenées à travailler conjointement, car il existe des liens structurels et fonctionnels entre biodiversité et climat et changement climatique et puits de carbone."

La suite ici.

D'autres informations également sur le site Internet de la Fondation pour la Recherche sur la Biodiversité