G7 Ministers Champion IPBES Work and Announce Workshop on Key Findings from the Invasive Alien Species Report

Description of Impact(s) (English Only) The G7 Ministers of Climate, Energy and the Environment met on from the 15th to 16th April 2023 in Sapporo, Japan, and issued a communiqué covering a wide range of topics and commitments agreed on during the gathering. In the communiqué, the G7 pledged species protection, including addressing the issue of invasive alien species (IAS), noting that this was identified as one of the five direct drivers of global biodiversity loss in the IPBES Global Assessment Report.

The communiqué states: "Invasive alien species: Invasive alien species (IAS) are identified as one of the five direct drivers of global biodiversity loss in the IPBES Global Assessment Report, and their negative impact has been intensifying globally. In order to accelerate the implementation of the Target 6 of the GBF, we will act upon the key findings and useful scientific information to be provided by the IPBES invasive alien species assessment report to be finalized at IPBES-10."

"Recognizing the need for enhanced international cooperation to cope with increasing intentional and unintentional transport of IAS across borders, we will hold the G7 workshop on IAS to discuss necessary measures, including information sharing at national and subnational levels, technology development, and private sector engagement, and develop a set of recommendations," the communiqué continued.

In their statement, the ministers also acknowledged "the vital role of science in identifying solutions... to understand the changes taking place in our climate and environment and to urgently reverse negative trend." They welcomed the contributions of the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), among others, and called for "continued collaboration and interaction among these scientific communities."