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Spatial planning and connectivity assessment

At IPBES 10, in 2023, the IPBES Plenary approved the undertaking of a methodological assessment of integrated biodiversity-inclusive spatial planning and ecological connectivity (spatial planning and connectivity assessment)

The methodological assessment of integrated biodiversity-inclusive spatial planning and ecological connectivity will address the use and change in use of land, inland waters and sea, including areas beyond national jurisdiction. The IPBES Global Assessment Report on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services identified land-use change as the first direct driver of biodiversity loss for terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems, and sea-use change as the second direct driver for marine ecosystems. The assessment will provide options for avoiding land and sea use change that negatively affects biodiversity and options for improving planning for effective conservation, restoration and sustainable use of nature and its contributions to people across spatial and temporal scales, with due attention paid to different regional and national situations and to the need to support sustainable livelihoods. 

The assessment will be directly relevant to the goals and targets of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. It will also support the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development Goals and inform other relevant multilateral environmental agreements, processes and efforts, including the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals and the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance Especially as Waterfowl Habitat. 

The assessment will cover methods, guidance, tools, scenarios, models, data, knowledge and capacity-building for integrating biodiversity considerations into and promoting connectivity (both structural and functional) in spatial planning, across sectors and scales. It will also cover lessons learned and best practice for identifying, restoring and enhancing ecological connectivity, focusing on how ecological connectivity contributes to biodiversity conservation, restoration, sustainable use and management, as in the case of migratory species, for example.

The assessment will look at participatory approaches to spatial planning, including those involving Indigenous Peoples and local communities, with particular attention paid to the needs of developing countries. 

The assessment will address approaches for the identification of areas for conservation, sustainable use and restoration, including protected areas and other effective area-based conservation measures. It will also illustrate the potential of spatial planning to reduce trade-offs and increase synergies between different types of uses of land, inland waters and sea waters in order to simultaneously achieve a range of global goals, particularly those related to biodiversity, food, poverty, water, health and climate change.

The assessment is being conducted using a fast track approach, and will be completed in 2027 and considered by the Plenary at its 14th session.

Annex II to decision IPBES-10/1

Scoping report for a methodological assessment of integrated biodiversity-inclusive spatial planning and ecological connectivity
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