My experiences as a YESS delegation member at the 7th Plenary Session of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES-7)
The Intergovernmental Science Policy on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) met in Paris from April 30th to May 4th, 2019. The reason was the preparation and adoption of the scientifically sound global report on the state of global nature and biodiversity. As a member of the Young Ecosystem Services Specialists (YESS), I applied as a delegate and was fortunately accepted.
YESS is part of the Ecosystem Services Partnership (ESP) network and wants to give young scientists a face and voice in biodiversity research. Even before the plenary week in the UNESCO headquarters in Paris, we had several webinars in which the work of IPBES was explained to us in detail. We had the opportunity to ask questions and discussed several topics (structure of IPBES, possible outcomes, etc.). We had a full schedule during the plenary week. A Stakeholder Day and a Networking Lunch was organized at the beginning and we had several opportunities to exchange personally with IPBES experts. Thank you for the organization!
I thought about my expectations on my train trip to Paris. In hindsight, I underestimated the scientific foundation and scope and can now better understand the global process. By far I could not attend all the events, as an observer you are not invited to all sessions, but above all I was fascinated by the exchange between science and policy, in which a mutual understanding is indispensable to generation Co-Production. This is by no means a linear flow from science to policy. Especially the function of the subgroup “Friends of the Chair” was interesting, because disputes could be sometimes only be solved by this group. Ownership arose through this exchange and joint development, that is relevant to the wider social and political impact of the results. Only those who find themselves in the text will accept and apply it. In contrast, the so-called “freerider problem”, which means to gain acknowledgement in the scientific community without any effort in the formulation process of the assessment, is also an issue.
In several conversations, it became clear to me that contacts and networks are of tremendous value in order to gain a basis of trust and to move forward together. Nevertheless, it has repeatedly been emphasized that the social sciences are still underrepresented and that further integration / opening of the process is required. Here I really ask myself the question about the reasons behind this situation. In sociology too I defend the viewpoint that nature exists around our social structure and that it has a decisive influence on the system.
During the working process, I noticed some points while listening to the debate. It has been emphasized on several occasions that a catalyst effect is to be formed between different decisions and agreements (for example with UN Agenda 2030, IPCC, CBD). For me, it was not always clear whether scientific or political ambitions were in the line of argument of the 104 government representatives (out of 132 IPBES member states). To be able to tell this apart requires long-term experiences! However, the Chair, Sir Robert Watson, repeatedly emphasized that the report “can’t be policy descriptive”. Nevertheless, the states fought for any weakening, or strengthening of sentences by the additions of “could”, “can”, or “as possible”. This language must also be understood and interpreted in international reports.
In terms of content, I was especially interested in the discussion about the internalization, or externalization, of natural resources throughout the supply chain. Above all, global thinking without political boundaries is relevant here. I was particularly impressed that a “transformative change” is required, especially in the economic system. One has to recognize the dynamics of our systems and change must be discussed. The private sector has been classified as a major actor alongside politics. Local knowledge of the population or indigenous people should be integrated. But how should the results of IPBES be heard at a local level? This is a question that will be dealt with intensively in the next phase.
We also had the opportunity to see the direct implementation in Paris on a tour with a person responsible for the city’s green spaces. Urban gardening and greening in urban areas are solutions to counter the perceived loss of biodiversity.
Also interesting is the debate on the concepts of ecosystem services and nature’s contribution to people (NCP). Thanks to the discussion with Marie Stenseke (MEP task force / expert group member of IPBES), it became clear that NCP is a broad concept that integrates culture as the basis and Ecosystem Services are included. There is currently no either-or aspired to, because many countries have achieved a lot with the concept of Ecosystem Services and do not want to throw that overboard. Again, the rattle between scientific reasons and political reality.
The report was presented online at 13:00 on Monday, 6/5/2019. Key messages from the report can be found here. You can see a lot of media attention worldwide as well as in Germany. That’s good, because it brings the urgent need for behavioural change into consciousness. In the closing statement, Sir Robert Watson stressed that biodiversity needs to be raised to the same level as climate change on the political agenda. We want to achieve that and we will only be able to achieve it together. I am honored that I was able to follow this process so closely and will certainly be able to use the knowledge gained for my PhD and my further career. Thank you very much for this amazing opportunity!
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by Sophie Peter
PhD-candidate at the Senckenberg Biodiversity Climate Research Centre (BiK-F) and Department of Social Sciences, Goethe University Frankfurt Germany
Published also at https://socudes.wordpress.com/2019/05/07/meine-erfahrungen-als-yess-delegationsmitglied-auf-der-7-plenarsitzung-des-un-weltbiodiversitaetsrats-ipbes/
