Call for nominations for fellows for the methodological assessment on monitoring biodiversity and nature’s contributions to people assessment

Dear IPBES members, observers and other interested stakeholders,

The IPBES Plenary, in decision IPBES/10/1, approved the undertaking of the methodological assessment on monitoring biodiversity and nature’s contributions to people (“monitoring assessment”).

The objective of the monitoring assessment is to support national and global efforts to (a) monitor biodiversity, nature’s contributions to people and the direct and underlying causes of the observed changes; and (b) specifically monitor progress towards the goals and targets of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework in support of a balanced and enhanced implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity. The assessment will also contribute to the monitoring of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development Goals and other relevant multilateral environmental agreements, processes and efforts.

Further to the call for nominations of experts for the monitoring assessment (EM/2023/36), Governments and other relevant stakeholders are herewith invited to nominate candidates to participate in the IPBES fellowship programme for the monitoring assessment.

The IPBES fellowship programme, which is part of a larger capacity-building portfolio of activities, targets early-career individuals who wish to gain experience by participating in the work of IPBES. Selected fellows will participate in the preparation of the chapter of the assessment for which they are selected, and their contribution acknowledged as part of the citation for that chapter. Fellows will attend author meetings and receive training to gain an in-depth understanding of the IPBES assessment processes and the science-policy interface. Fellows will also be paired up with a mentor for the assessment period.

The assessment will be conducted in line with the procedures for IPBES deliverables set out in decision IPBES-3/3, annex I (available here) and based on the scoping report for the assessment (available here).

IPBES is seeking fellows from academia, government, and civil society with expertise in:

• A range of disciplines, including but not limited to, ecology, evolution, social science, economics, statistics and biodiversity modelling;
• Monitoring biodiversity and nature’s contributions to people in terrestrial, freshwater, and marine ecosystems;
• The use of in-situ and remote sensing measurements, community-based monitoring and citizen science;
• Diverse and new technologies for estimating and monitoring biodiversity, such as environmental DNA, ecological acoustics, camera-traps, hyperspectral imagery and artificial intelligence;
• National and subnational monitoring programmes and systems (including those led by Indigenous Peoples and local communities), global observing systems, and citizen science initiatives;
• Indicators and the use of indicators in policy and decision-making;
• Institutional and financial requirements to strengthen monitoring systems.

Governments and relevant stakeholders are invited to ensure gender balance in their nominations.

All nominated candidates (Nominees) need to be available to attend the relevant author meetings, training workshops and induction day for fellows, with the induction day and first author meeting tentatively scheduled for October 2024.

All Governments and relevant organizations or institutions are encouraged to submit nominations. Nominating organizations or institutions are not required to have been admitted to the Plenary of IPBES as an observer. Please help us to disseminate this call for nominations of fellows widely.

Please follow the below procedure for nomination:

• Nominees are invited to complete the application form and attach their curriculum vitae through the dedicated web portal at https://www.ipbes.net/application/monitoring-assessment-fellows (to access this page you will need to login with your IPBES website log in credentials. Nominees not yet registered on the IPBES website will need to do so at https://ipbes.net/user/register). Please note that the nomination form is in English only and applications should be submitted in English, as the assessment process will be conducted in English;
• The nominating government or organization (Nominator) indicated by the Nominee will receive an email with a link to the nomination form and will be invited to approve and submit the nominations in the web portal;
• Nominators and Nominees will receive confirmation via email once the nomination has been submitted.

Interested early-career individuals wishing to be nominated by a Government are encouraged to contact their IPBES National Focal Point (https://www.ipbes.net/national-focal-points) regarding any country specific processes or deadlines and are requested to fill out their application form by 19 December 2023. 

Nominators (Governments or organizations) should submit the nominations of all Nominees, which they would like to support, before 6 January 2024. Early nominations ahead of this deadline are encouraged. Fellows will be selected by the management committee of the monitoring assessment, which includes the co-chairs of the assessment and members of the IPBES Bureau and Multidisciplinary Expert Panel.

More information on the IPBES fellowship programme, including selection criteria and available support to selected fellows, can be found on the IPBES webpage: https://ipbes.net/ipbes-fellowship-programme.

I thank you in advance for your nominations and your continued support to IPBES. 

Yours sincerely,

Dr Anne Larigauderie | Executive Secretary
Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES)