Description of Impact(s) (English Only) A group of scientists have published a letter in “Science Mag” calling on the US Congress to fully fund “wildlife conservation programs to protect biodiversity from severe and growing threats”. The scientists draw on the findings of the IPBES Global Assessment and explain that “in light of the unprecedented global biodiversity crisis highlighted by the IPBES, we urge the United States to join governments around the world in immediate action.”

Description of Impact(s) (English Only) In September 2019, The Guardian newspaper announced a new year-long series called “The Age of Extinction,” which focuses on biodiversity and “draws attention to the catastrophic loss of species across the planet and looks at ways to tackle the crisis.” One of the first stories published as part of the series is an opinion piece by Guardian’s former environment editor John Vidal, who highlighted the finding of the IPBES Global Assessment that one million species are now at risk of extinction due to human activity.

Description of Impact(s) (English Only) A report produced by Julie’s Bicycle and written by Chiara Badiali examines ways in which the creative sector can respond to the biodiversity crisis and was inspired by the IPBES Global Assessment. The report focuses on green infrastructure, single-use plastics, and the move away from unsustainable sources such as palm oil, with a view toward challenges in the UK and globally that relate to the arts and culture sector.

Description of Impact(s) (English Only) IPBES Global Assessment serves as the primary background for a Scottish Parliamentary briefing on nature and biodiversity in Scotland. The report, titled “Mainstreaming nature - international approaches to biodiversity conservation,” supports consideration of biodiversity mainstreaming in Scotland, by setting out a diverse range of examples of international approaches to biodiversity conservation.” The briefing draws extensively from the Global Assessment and cites its key findings.

Description of Impact(s) (English Only) The Vietnam Environment Administration cites the IPBES Global Assessment in an article announcing the launch of a project designed with the World Bank. In response to the Global Assessment finding that one million species are at risk of extinction, the project focuses on conserving endangered species in Vietnam. The Vietnam Environment Administration explains that “the project will be carried out by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment from 2019 to 2022 to protect endangered species by reducing threats posed by illegal exploitation, trade and consumption through multilateral cooperation.”

Description of Impact(s) (English Only) During the high-level segment at the fourteenth session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), the gathered Ministers and Representatives developed the New Delhi Declaration. This Declaration takes notes of the IPBES Global Assessment, which recognizes the role of the land-use sector. The Declaration renews the Parties’ commitment to concerted international cooperation for the effective implementation of the Convention.

Description of Impact(s) (English Only) An article in the publication “Nature, Ecology and Evolution” draws on the findings of the IPBES Global Assessment as evidence of nature’s dangerous decline. In the article, titled “Scientists must act on our own warnings to humanity,” Charlie J. Gardner and Claire F. R. Wordley highlight the Global Assessment finding that one million species are at risk of extinction due to human activity. The authors argue that scientists should “should join civil disobedience movements to fight these unprecedented crises” of climate change and biodiversity loss.

Description of Impact(s) (English Only) The World Biological Corridor initiative cites IPBES research about human responsibility for degradation of land, sea and organisms, in its manifesto/petition to build "a meeting space, synergies, alliances, ideas and projects in different parts of the planet that can develop significant advances in the expansion of the world biological corridor"

Description of Impact(s) (English Only) In the provisional agenda for the Fourteenth session of the Conference of the Parties Committee on Science and Technology, the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in Those Countries Experiencing Serious Drought and/or Desertification, Particularly in Africa (UNCCD) cites the findings of the IPBES Land Degradation and Restoration Report as a motivating rationale for one objective of their 2020-2021 Science-Policy Interface work programme. The objective seeks to provide further science-based evidence of the potential contribution of integrated land use planning and integrated landscape management to bring about positive transformative change in the context of land degradation neutrality. The IPBES Land Degradation and Restoration Report provides a rationale for the UNCCD’s objective as it suggested that land transformation resulting from land use change is having major impacts on human well-being and biodiversity.

Description of Impact(s) (English Only) Following their review of the IPBES Land Degradation and Restoration and Global Assessments, the Science-Policy Interface of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) drew six main conclusions related to their own efforts to avoid, reduce and reverse land degradation. They then offered a list of subsequent recommendations for parties at UNCCD CST 14 on how to incorporate Land Degradation Neutrality into policy and planning across sectors in an integrated way to safeguard biodiversity, ecosystem services, and livelihoods.

Description of Impact(s) (English Only) In Chapter 3. 15 of their think piece “Land Restoration for Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals,” the International Resources Panel and its Science-Policy Interface cite and analyze the IPBES Land Degradation and Restoration Report.This analysis provided a scientific basis for exploring solutions to address land degradation, meaning opportunities for transformative change in the way human beings engage with land. Chapter 3.15 on Land Restoration for Achieving SDG 15 explores how to protect, restore and promote use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and biodiversity los

Description of Impact(s) (English Only) On September 16, 2019, the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario and the Environmental Law and Policy Centre will jointly host a bi-national symposium on the IPBES Global Assessment . This symposium will explore the findings of the Assessment with the aim of understanding their relevance to the Great Lakes region of Canada and the USA. The event will feature remarks and addresses from the Honourable Elizabeth Dowdeswell, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario and former Executive Director of UNEP, as well as Global Assessment Co-Chair Eduardo S. Brondizio and Coordinating Lead Author Kai Chan.

Description of Impact(s) (English Only) The President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins, shared key findings of IPBES Global Assessment at the inaugural Phoenix Park Biodiversity Festival and Honey Show. The Festival is an initiative of the Irish Office of Public Works (OPW), with the aim of celebrating Phoenix Park’s rich and natural biodiversity through a programme of events consisting of free activities, including walks, talks, tours, documentaries, music and art.

President Higgins situated Ireland's national biodiversity initiatives within the context of Irish international efforts, as evidenced by the work of IPBES. The President said: "The Report makes it clear that the current response from the international community to loss of biodiversity is insufficient and that deep, sustained, shared, transformative changes are needed to restore and protect nature and the benefits and essential services that are derived from it."

Description of Impact(s) (English Only) The Scottish Government has presented its detailed Government's Programme for Scotland for 2019-2020, which includes a robust section on biodiversity commitments and participation in the Convention of Biological Diversity post-2020 Biodiversity Framework negotiations. In addition to 'carefully considering' the IPBES Global Assessment and committing to provide Parliament with recommended policy changes, Government has also stated that the Global Assessment will inform their work programme to address biodiversity loss and promote pollinators with the "B-lines" project forming a network of pollinators.

Description of Impact(s) (English Only) In their announcement of biodiversity-positive projects integrated into the development project, Smithson Hill has set the IPBES Global Assessment and Former IPBES Chair Sir Robert Watson front and center and championed "revolutionary practices to improve biodiversity in our cities, towns and farms" "in order to address the issues underlying these findings." Commercial developer Smithson Hill plans for their agri-tech development 'ARC Cambridge' to include sustainable water management and as extensive regeneration of the hedges and woodlands on the site in order to increase biodiversity and improve the environment for employees on the site. The creation of parkland is intended to contribute to the community-based space and enhance natural habitats, and therefore achieve the goal of contributing to tackle the biodiversity emergency.

Description of Impact(s) (English Only) In the words of the authors, "the assessment process under IPBES (the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services) has however shown that the current predominantly biophysical and economic models and scenario processes for exploring the future of biodiversity, ecosystem services and their contributions to human wellbeing are insufficient to capture the complexity and context-specific nature of the problems facing these sectors."

The authors focused on the "(IPBES) process that is attempting to explore more diverse and participatory scenario methodologies to provide useful guidance to decision-makers around the challenges of biodiversity conservation and management. The aim of the paper is to contribute to the ongoing IPBES scenario development process design by highlighting different ways of introducing imagination as a key component in the scenario co-development process. We specifically explore four examples of different scenario approaches that creatively engage arts and harness imagination as a tool for thinking about more transformative future trajectories."

Description of Impact(s) (English Only) More than 1600 scientists from Defenders of Wildlife and universities have authored and endorsed a letter calling for increased funding to address the biodiversity crisis and prevent the stark findings of the IPBES Global Assessment from coming to pass.

Description of Impact(s) (English Only) Global Wood, a timber industry news and market research company, is using the Brazilian IPBES Platform in their business forecasting for the furniture industry.

From their website:
"New report – recovery of 12 million ha. of native vegetation possible by 2030
The Brazilian Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (BPBES), supported by the Research Programme on Biodiversity Characterisation, Conservation and Sustainable Use (-FAPESP-BIOTA) and the International Institute for Sustainability (ISS), has released the document “Landscape and Ecosystem Restoration”, which states that it is possible to recover 12 million hectares of native vegetation of the country by 2030.


Brazil has lost about 71 million hectares of native vegetation in the last 30 years as a result of deforestation and forest fires among other factors according to MapBiomas. This damage can be repaired through enabling the recovery of 12 million hectares of native vegetation across the country by 2030 as set out in the National Ecological Restoration Plan.


Through this it would be possible to sequester 1.4 megatons (Mt) of carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere, interconnect natural fragments in the landscape and further increase biodiversity conservation without impairing agriculture output.


Brazil has the opportunity to develop a unique native vegetation recovery programme for forested areas of the Atlantic Forest and the Amazon rainforest.


This is because the country can count on a great diversity of species in restoration projects.

See:
https://www.ipbes.net/news/launch-summary-policy-makers-1st-brazilian-assessment-biodiversity-ecosystem-services"

Description of Impact(s) (English Only) A research article explores the application of imagination in scenario development that stimulates “a reflective process that can contribute to more informed decision-making”. The article both examines the role application of imagination in existing IPBES assessments and offers suggestions for how it can be better applied in future ones.

Description of Impact(s) (English Only) The World Business Council for Sustainable Development has published brief for business on the IPBES Global Assessment Report, which highlights the main points from the report relevant to business and puts it in the context of other landmark reports, such as the World Economic Forum’s New Nature Economy report series and the upcoming Dasgupta Economics of Biodiversity review.

Description of Impact(s) (English Only) The South Hams District Council in Devon, England has unanimously declared both a Climate Change and a Biodiversity Emergency following the IPBES Global Assessment. Subsequently, the district will collaborate with various agencies to address the emergencies and will develop an action plan to assess the viability of a 2030 carbon neutral target. To do this, a working group will bring a recommendation to the full council, which will include an assessment that addresses concerns related to global species and habitat loss, as explored in the Global Assessment.

Description of Impact(s) (English Only) In a statement opposing a tabled bill in California, a spokesperson for the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC) cited the IPBES Global Assessment and its finding that the direct exploitation of species poses a major threat to biodiversity. The spokesperson opposed the Assembly Bill 719 in the Californian State Legislature, which would allow the commercial import and sale of crocodile and alligator parts and products in California to continue until 2025. These activities are currently scheduled to be banned on 1 January 2020.

Description of Impact(s) (English Only) Nathaniel Mulcahy, a 2020 US Congressional candidate from Massachusetts, decided to run in part because of the IPBES Global Assessment, as well as the recent IPCC reports. In designing his campaign poster, Mulcahy also drew inspiration from one of the Global Assessment’s key findings: that one million species are threatened with extinction. Consequently, his campaign poster features the faded silhouettes of many different species that are currently at risk, as well as the coloured outlines of several species that have gone extinct since he was first asked to run. As a congressional candidate, Mulcahy intends to bring attention to the IPBES report.

Description of Impact(s) (English Only) Dr. Robert Fowler, a University of South Australia Professor of Law, has proposed a legally-binding international legal instrument for advancing Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) as part of United Nations Sustainable Development Goal target 15.3. In light of the stark findings of the IPBES Land Degradation and Restoration Assessment - and further evidence provided by the Global Assessment of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services - Fowler has proposed the adoption of Paris Agreement-like National Determined Contributions and mandatory review and reporting requirements within the United Nations Convention on Combating Desertification (UNCCD), the inclusion of sustainable soil use within the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) post-2020 biodiversity framework, and the development of a soil target within the forthcoming decadal biodiversity targets for 2021-2030. The Professor's forthcoming publication (Fowler and Hannam, "Critique of the Report “Improving International Soil Governance: Analysis and recommendations”) is expected for publication in the International Yearbook of Soils Law and Policy in late 2020.

Description of Impact(s) (English Only) Following news that the Trump administration plans to overhaul the Endangered Species Act, two US states announced plans to sue the government, citing findings of the Global Assessment. Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey and California Attorney General Xavier Becerra both referenced the finding that 1 million species are at risk of extinction.

Description of Impact(s) (English Only) During the lead up to the 18th CITES Conference of the Parties, the Humane Society International and the Humane Society of the United States urged world leaders to act on species extinction, citing the IPBES Global Assessment. Together, these societies compose the largest global animal protection charity in the world. In a statement, the president of Humane Society International, Jeffrey Flocken, said “With UN experts warning that one million of the world’s estimated 8 million species are threatened with extinction, the time for timid policy making is over.”

Description of Impact(s) (English Only) The Bristol Museum, which houses one of Britain’s largest natural history collections, decided to shroud its exhibits of extinct and endangered species in black mourning veils to highlight the global biodiversity crisis. Explaining the rationale behind this move, senior curator Isla Gladstone said that the museum was responding to the seriousness of the threats to wildlife and plants as identified in the IPBES Global Assessment. The museum drew its inspiration from a group of visiting schoolchildren who were moved by the exhibit.

Description of Impact(s) (English Only) Following news that the Trump administration plans to overhaul the Endangered Species Act, US Presidential candidate Joe Sestak Tweeted out his opposing stance. In his statement on Twitter, he cited the finding from the Global Assessment that 1 million species are at risk of extinction, arguing that this proves the importance of preserving biodiversity.

Description of Impact(s) (English Only) Following news that the Trump administration plans to overhaul the Endangered Species Act, US Presidential candidate Julián Castro Tweeted out his opposing stance. In his statement on Twitter, he cited the finding from the Global Assessment that 1 million species are at risk of extinction, arguing that this proves the importance of preserving biodiversity.

Description of Impact(s) (English Only) Following news that the Trump administration plans to overhaul the Endangered Species Act, US Presidential candidate Julián Castro Tweeted out his opposing stance. In his statement on Twitter, he cited the finding from the Global Assessment that 1 million species are at risk of extinction, arguing that this proves the importance of preserving biodiversity.