Description of Impact(s) (English Only) Citing the findings of the Global Assessment, the Welsh Government announced that it would not follow through on plans to build a new highway (the M4 relief road) due to its impact on the environment. Mark Drakeford, the First Minister of Wales, indicated that the road’s environmental impact on the Gwent Levels spurred the rejection, which follows Wales’s declaration of a climate emergency in April 2019. The highway was estimated to cost £1.6bn.

Description of Impact(s) (English Only) An independent group of UN experts warned that the loss of biodiversity, as well as the erosion of nature and the extinction of species, seriously threaten human rights for present and future generation. The experts referenced the findings of the Global Assessment to assert that environmental health underpins basic human rights and to highlight the urgency of biodiversity loss. They found that failing to protect biodiversity can constitute a violation of the right to a healthy environment, which is legally recognized by 155 States. They also cited IPBES while emphasizing the importance of respecting Indigenous Peoples and local communities.

Description of Impact(s) (English Only) The European Greens picked up 17 seats, becoming the fourth-largest bloc in the European Parliament for the first time.

As written in Slate, Christian Science Monitor and Extinction Rebellion note, the environment rose to the top of the political agenda in May 2019.

"The months leading up to the election saw the release of two devastatingly grim U.N. reports—October’s warning about the urgent and immediate steps that will be required to prevent 1.5 degrees Celsius of global warming, and May’s biodiversity report warning that 1 million species are at risk of extinction—as well as widespread public protests in several countries, the emergence of Swedish teenager Greta Thunberg as a galvanizing protest leader, and the spread of school strikes demanding action on the climate crisis"

Description of Impact(s) (English Only) UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay announced the addition of 18 new UNESCO Biosphere Reserves, in response to the 'pressing need to take action' as' highlighted by the IPBES Global Assessment. As Azoulay said, "After diagnosing the issue at stake, highlighted by the recent report of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), the vitality of the World Network of Biosphere Reserves gives us cause for hope. Each UNESCO biosphere reserve is an open sky laboratory for sustainable development, for concrete and lasting solutions, for innovation and good practices. They seal a new alliance between the world of science and youth, between humans and the environment.”

UNESCO Biosphere reserves seek to reconcile human activity with the conservation of biodiversity through the sustainable use of natural resources.

Description of Impact(s) (English Only) The UK politician Zac Goldsmith, who serves as Minister of State for the Pacific, International Environment, Climate and Forests, and Animal Welfare, made a call in parliament to ban the import of hunting trophies. Goldsmith cited the IPBES Global Assessment and its finding that one million species are at risk of extinction.

Description of Impact(s) (English Only) During her keynote speech in the Arctic Science and Innovation session held during the 2019 Arctic Circle China Forum: China and The Arctic, H.E. Ms. Lilja Alfreðsdóttir, Minister of Education, Science and Culture of Iceland, highlighted a finding from the 2019 IPBES Global Assessment to advocate for greater co-ownership by indigenous peoples of decisions and policymaking on nature:

"...What is the key message from me as a minister?...even though we have this very good dialogue with researchers and very talented and extremely forward-looking people...one of the things that we noticed is that 'nature managed by indigenous peoples and local communities is under increasing pressure, but it's generally declining less rapidly than in other lands' (IPBES 2019). What am I saying by this? Why am I highlighting this? I do that because it's very important that there is ownership of the policies. We need to think about the Arctic people. They need to be involved as regards to decision-making. We are not going to have successful decisions or policymaking, either global or local, unless we have the people that are there work with us."

The China Forum was held in the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum on May 10-11, 2019. The forum was hosted by China's Ministry of Natural Resources in collaboration with the Polar Research Institute of China and supported by the Science and Technology Commission of Shanghai. Based in Reykjavík, Iceland, Arctic Circle is a "network of international dialogue and cooperation on the future of the Arctic and our Planet. It is an open democratic platform with participation from governments, organizations, corporations, universities, think tanks, environmental associations, indigenous communities, concerned citizens, and others. It is nonprofit and nonpartisan."

Description of Impact(s) (English Only) Tjeerd de Groot, Member of the House of Representatives of the Netherlands, made a formal proposal to organize a public round-table discussion on the IPBES Global Assessment. The round-table would explore the relevance of the Global Assessment for the Netherlands and how the Assessment’s findings relate to current nature policy.

Description of Impact(s) (English Only) In response to the release of the IPBES 2019 Global Assessment Report, Dr. Zhou Jinfeng, the Secretary-General of China Biodiversity Conservation and Green Development Foundation (CBCGDF), has signed the Petition for Global Deal for Nature (GDN) which is calling on the world leaders to protect half of our lands and seas.
The Report by IPBES discloses the worrying current situation of our nature: species extinction, wildlife decline, habitat loss, and exhausted ecological resources. According to the petition, "these systems are being thrown dangerously off balance by an onslaught of human activities. From pesticides on our fields to plastics choking our oceans to bulldozers in our forests, all over the planet, the natural world is under assault."
Dr. Zhou Jinfeng said, “we must change our lifestyle and production mode in a radical way. We should abandon the values of changing and conquering the nature obtained in the industrial civilization and develop new values of respecting and conserving nature. It is essential to protect earth resources, biodiversity, and natural habitats, and take actions to maintain the balance of the ecosystem, thus achieving sustainable development and creating a community of shared future for mankind. This is the inexorable trend of civilization development."

Description of Impact(s) (English Only) Environment Secretary Michael Gove said, "The recent IPBES report drives home the message that we must increase our efforts to protect our environment as the effects of biodiversity decline and climate change are felt around the world." Government has launched a ten week Call for Evidence on Friday, 10 May to gather knowledge on safeguarding nature in the UK Overseas Territories. Many of the Overseas Territories are globally significant in their ecological richness, containing over 90 per cent of the UK’s marine and terrestrial nature. They are hotspots for biodiversity with an estimated 3,300 endemic species, but they are also highly vulnerable to environmental change. The Call for Evidence will also look to further understand how environmental outcomes are delivered through existing spending on biodiversity and conservation, and consider whether spending is effective. This includes looking at options for future funding streams to replace existing EU schemes, such as the Voluntary Scheme for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services in the Overseas Territories of the European Union (BEST).

Description of Impact(s) (English Only) In light of the IPBES Global Assessment, the Ministry of Agriculture, together with the Hessian Farmers' Association and the Hessian Beekeepers Association, doubled this year's "Blühstreifeninitiative" (Flower Strip Initiative) as part of the "Bee-friendly Hessen" campaign. This year, 1,600 hectares of additional flowering areas have been created - twice as many as last year. 1,600 hectares correspond to a five-meter-wide flower strip with a total length of 3,200 kilometers. The Ministry of the Environment supported the beekeeping associations in financing the seeds with lottery funds. BY 2019 around 34,000 euros have been granted thus far.

Description of Impact(s) (English Only) Gemperle Family Farms is expanding their philanthropic giving in the areas of preservation of natural ecosystems and the diversity of plant and animal species, by expanding philanthropic giving to the Dian Foffesy Gorilla Fund international and Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation.

Gemperle Family Farms is calling on all businesses to join forces in the preservation of our ecosystem and its vital contributions to the world population. "If every business does a small part, we can become a web of action and change," stated Gemperle. "There is a network of awe-inspiring nonprofits on the ground doing sound science and community-based projects. The easiest way to create change is to fund these organizations so they can continue their work. That's why we started the #PreserveNatureDonations challenge." "After we read portions of the [IPBES Global Assessment] report we decided as a family business that we needed to do something," said Heidi Gemperle, a Seattle veterinarian and longtime advocate for land and animal habitat conservation. "We felt that we needed to do more to preserve our Earth's ecosystem for future generations."

"After we read portions of the report we decided as a family business that we needed to do something," said Heidi Gemperle.

Description of Impact(s) (English Only) The City Council of Cambridge has shown a strong initiative to first undertake an internal assessment identifying the best approach to achieve net biodiversity gain within a one year timeline and pledges to implement further action starting with the following year.


The City Council of Cambridge has pledged to provide leadership and to ensure that we work with partners and our communities to reverse the decline in biodiversity and deliver measurable biodiversity net gain within Cambridge and the wider region.



Further to this, Council:



(1) Declares its recognition of the global biodiversity emergency and the local impact this could have on the communities and businesses we serve

(2) Pledges to act during the first year of Motion being accepted, to work towards future measurable biodiversity net gain for Cambridge, based on a full assessment of the scientific evidence on how best to achieve this

(3) Pledges to develop plans for further action, in second year of Motion and beyond, to secure further biodiversity net gain.



In recognition of this biodiversity emergency, during first year of Motion being accepted Cambridge City Council will:



· Make the Council estate more hospitable to a wide range of plants and animals, including on our parks and open spaces.

· Publish a Parks Biodiversity Toolkit to encourage community engagement with habitat creation such as flowering meadows for pollinating insects.

· Identify how the City’s open spaces function as part of a Cambridgeshire coherent ecological network and prioritise areas for protection and enhancement.

· Set measurable targets and standards for biodiversity increase, seeking to increase community engagement with habitat creation such as bee banks and ponds.

· Work to improve the City Council Nature Conservation Strategy, building on the significant work already delivered since its adoption in 2006, by embedding measurable biodiversity net gain across the authority.

· Work in partnership with institutions, schools, businesses and community groups, to raise awareness and encourage wider biodiversity action across the City by:

o Providing a range of public engagement and awareness campaigns to provide advice to residents and businesses on how to protect and enhance habitats within their neighbourhoods.

o Promoting the adoption of the Local Nature Partnership ‘Developing with Nature Toolkit’ within all new major developments to ensure biodiversity best practice is implemented and recognised

o Continuing to safeguard and enhance the trees of our urban forest to maximise their biodiversity benefits through the implementation of the adopted Tree Strategy (2016)

o Encouraging and supporting urban agriculture as set out in the City Council Sustainable Food Policy,

o Continuing to support the Local Wildlife Trust through a service level agreement (SLA) to ensure our designated Local Wildlife Sites reach and retain favourable conservation status

o Continuing to support the Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Environmental Records Centre through a SLA to ensure validated, up-to-date biodiversity data is captured and available to decision makers when considering the implications of development, land management and projects.

o Continuing to support Natural Cambridgeshire, the Local Nature Partnership (LNP), to deliver the shared vision for ‘Cambridgeshire to be an exemplar for the landscape scale restoration of the natural environment’.







We further aspire to:

· Ensure the delivery of biodiversity enhancements through our planning policy and development control functions by providing guidance to support existing biodiversity policies as part of the Greater Cambridge Sustainable Design and Construction SPD and forthcoming Greater Cambridge Biodiversity SPD. Development of the Joint Greater Cambridge Local Plan will enable the development of a mandatory biodiversity net gain policy for Cambridge and South Cambridgeshire, ensuring that this is a core principle for all future development across the Greater Cambridge Shared Planning Service

· Establish a Cambridge Biodiversity Charter, calling on all organisations, businesses and individuals in the city to each establish their own Biodiversity Action Plans and to commit to enhancing their open spaces, to contribute towards a city’s wide net gain

· Design new council housing for net gain of biodiversity and opportunities in the form of integral swift boxes, biodiverse green roofs and hedgehog highways etc, where viable.

· Work with the Cambridgeshire County Council, Greater Cambridge Partnership and Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Combined Authority to promote sustainable transport by the implementation of biodiversity net gain targets

· Establish a Biodiversity recognition scheme for schools / community groups / business and individual gardens.

Description of Impact(s) (English Only) Following the release of the Global Assessment, the president of Palau Tommy Remengesau Jr. made an appeal to governments to take international, intergovernmental actions to combat biodiversity loss and to treat it in conjunction with climate change. He co-wrote an opinion piece with past IPBES Chair Sir Robert Watson that highlights the dangers of marine biodiversity loss in the Pacific, as revealed by the Global Assessment. The president highlighted the urgency of the biodiversity loss crisis ahead of the 7th annual 'Our Oceans Conference' to be hosted by Palau in 2020.

Description of Impact(s) (English Only) Following the release of the Global Assessment, the president of Palau Tommy Remengesau Jr. made an appeal to governments to take international, intergovernmental actions to combat biodiversity loss and to treat it in conjunction with climate change. He co-wrote an opinion piece with past IPBES Chair Sir Robert Watson that highlights the dangers of marine biodiversity loss in the Pacific, as revealed by the Global Assessment. The president highlighted the urgency of the biodiversity loss crisis ahead of the 7th annual 'Our Oceans Conference' to be hosted by Palau in 2020.

Description of Impact(s) (English Only) Following the IPBES Global Assessment, members of the Intergovernmental Task Force on the Kill, Illegal Capture and Trade of Migratory Birds in the Mediterranean, established by the United Nations Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) and the Berne Convention's Special Focal Points Network have agreed to develop a commons strategy against the illegal killing, capture and trade of birds in Europe and the Mediterranean. Representatives met in Rome to discuss the issue and lay groundwork for the Rome Strategic Plan. Starting next year and until 2030, the Rome Strategic Plan will coordinate action to effectively rationalize efforts to combat offenses against wild birds.

Description of Impact(s) (English Only) Immediately after the launch of the Global Assessment, French President Emmanuel Macron invited several IPBES Experts to the Elysee Palace to discuss the findings. After the meeting, Macron met with press to announce that his Government will work on new measures to protect biodiversity, such as increasing the size of natural areas under protection and taking tax and budget measures. He also said that he will bring up the issue of biodiversity loss in talks within the G7, which France is Chairing.

Description of Impact(s) (English Only) The Irish Parliament discussed the findings of the IPBES Global Assessment before deciding to amend their previous declaration of a climate emergency to reflect the interlinked issue of biodiversity loss. The amendment was moved by the Irish Green party leader, Eamon Ryan, who called the decision “historic.”

Description of Impact(s) (English Only) Days after the launch of the IPBES Global Assessment, Green Party Members of the German Parliament urged the Bundestang to take swift action to combat the threat of biodiversity loss. During an intervention titled “After the Global Report on Biodiversity – Political Consequences of Dangerous Species Extinction,” they demanded that the Government make decisions in 2019 instead of setting targets for 2030 or 2050 related to issues like pesticide use and harmful subsidies.

Description of Impact(s) (English Only) Following the widely publicized launch of the IPBES Global Assessment, the Parliament of Myanmar voted to become the 133rd IPBES member states. Myanmar’s Deputy Minister for Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation explained that joining IPBES will provide benefits like raising awareness of the latest technologies used in environmental conservation and becoming more connected with international environmental conservation organizations around the world.

Description of Impact(s) (English Only) Shortly after the launch of the IPBES Global Assessment, Welsh Members of Parliament referenced the findings in support of a proposal for a non-carbon emission public vehicles bill. They also formally questioned Lesley Griffiths, the Welsh Minister for Environment, Energy and Rural Affairs, on the issue of biodiversity loss in Wales.

Description of Impact(s) (English Only) Following the launch of the IPBES Global Assessment, the Wildlife Corridors Conservation Act of 2019 was introduced into both houses of the United States Congress. This bi-partisan legislation seeks to benefit wildlife that travel beyond park boundaries and would restore habitat. Policymakers referenced the Global Assessment as evidence of the urgency of biodiversity loss as well as the importance of preserving biodiversity.

Description of Impact(s) (English Only) Immediately after the launch of the Global Assessment, National Geographic Society and the Wyss Campaign jointly issued a press release in support of it. Jonathan Baillie, the executive vice president and chief scientist of National Geographic Society, stressed the need to protect nature and species by securing land and water. Together, National Geographic Society and the Wyss Campaign for Nature are working to inspire the protection of 30% of the planet by 2030.

Description of Impact(s) (English Only) In light of the "first global assessment of the state of nature and humanity's place in it, launched by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES)" the European Commission aligned the release of their 'Biodiversity Barometer' which gauges Europeans' awareness of biodiversity, its importance, threats and measures to protect it.

EU Commissioner for Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Karmenu Vella said: "The latest Biodiversity Eurobarometer survey clearly demonstrates three things: Europeans care deeply about nature and biodiversity; they recognize climate change and biodiversity loss as two sides of the same coin and they expect the EU to act in order to safeguard nature. Coupled with the solid scientific evidence coming from IPBES...the Commission has both a duty and a mandate to work towards a strong global deal for nature and people in 2020.”

Description of Impact(s) (English Only) The World Wildlife Fund supported the launch of the IPBES Global Assessment by issuing a press release outlining its key findings. As part of the press release, WWF issued an appeal for conservation champions to join their Call4Nature open letter, which underlines the need for action by political leaders to stop the disappearance of life on Earth. WWF further added their own voice to the Assessment’s findings by calling the report “a wake up to call policymakers and businesses to take decisive action” and highlighting the “urgent need for a new deal for nature and people by 2020.”

Description of Impact(s) (English Only) Climate and extinction activists spilled fake blood on the famous Trocadero esplanade opposite the Eiffel Tower, to signify the accelerated loss of biodiversity as evidenced by the IPBES Global Assessment.

With banners reading "Stop the sixth mass extinction" the activists, to the bemusement of tourists, emptied 300 liters of red liquid onto the overlook opposite the Eiffel Tower.

Description of Impact(s) (English Only) Karmenu Vella, EU Commissioner for Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries announced that 2020 #EuGreenWeek will be all about biodiversity' and urges policymakers to be even more ambitious than the Global Assessment. "There's no other choice but to act with urgency now."

Description of Impact(s) (English Only) Hundreds of young people staged a mock 'Die-In' on the steps of New York City Hall to protest the fact that a million species are faced with extinction - inspired by the Global Assessment.

Description of Impact(s) (English Only) Following the launch of the IPBES Global Assessment, the World Future Society released an official response, in which they stated that it “serves as a clear call to action for our species to wake up to the reality of our planetary emergency.” Subsequently, they resolved as an organization to “enact significant, systemic, transformative change and plan for multiple futures in order to prevent catastrophic collapse of our life-supporting global biosphere.” In so doing, they resolved to take a leading role to connect discordant efforts around the globe and create a global collaborative network in pursuit of a sustainable future.

Description of Impact(s) (English Only) Canadian Environment and Climate Change Minister Catherine McKenna has called for a “Paris Agreement moment for nature” during a G7 environmental ministers meeting in Metz, France. McKenna said that the IPBES Global Assessment presented a "massive challenge" for nations to tackle leading drivers of biodiversity loss such as pollution, climate change. The Minister compared the Global Assessment to the October, 2018 IPCC report on 1.5°C, “This was like the IPCC report on climate change. We now understand the magnitude of the challenge. We need a Paris Agreement moment for nature, and I’m hoping we’re leading to that in 2020.”

Description of Impact(s) (English Only) Based on the success of the IPBES Global Assessment, the Platform was included, for the first time ever, in 10 different IUCN Regional Conservation Forums, augemented by invitations to IUCN participants for greater enagement with IPBES, as well as greater use of IPBES products in IUCN activities. In total, this outreach engaged about 2500 scientists, practitioners, officials and NGOs. These events also included the participation of Global Assessment authors (co-chairs, CLAs, etc.).