Summary
On Monday, IPBES-6 delegates continued discussing the key findings of the four regional assessments of biodiversity and ecosystem services in contact groups throughout the day and in the evening. While each group focused on the specific messages of its respective assessment, several cross-cutting concerns emerged during the day; most prominently the use of the concept of ‘nature’s contributions to people.’ Introduced by the scientists of the IPBES’ Multilateral Expert Panel and adopted at IPBES-5, the approach aims to better reflect the complex relationship between humans and nature, and the diversity of perspectives on those relationships.
Other cross-cutting issues included the relevance of biodiversity for different economic sectors and the need to ensure that the messages in the summaries for policy makers (SPMs) are backed by strong evidence.
Highlights of the day included the following:
- The contact group on the Asia-Pacific assessment progressed in the first reading of the draft SPM and began tackling outstanding issues.
- The contact group on the America’s assessment diligently discussed definitions of terms and concepts, and how to reflect them in the SPM.
- The contact group on the Africa assessment held extended discussions on drivers of biodiversity loss.
- The contact group on the Europe and Central Asia assessment debated on information consistency and how to ensure that messages are irrefutable and policy-relevant.
- Throughout the day, delegates discussed, in contact groups and in the corridors, the implications of the concept of ‘nature’s contributions to people’ and how to use it alongside the concept of ecosystem services.
For more about the day’s events, read the Earth Negotiations Bulletin daily report.
IISD Reporting Services, through its Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) Meeting Coverage, provided daily digital coverage and daily reports from IPBES-6. In addition, IISD Reporting Services has produced a summary and analysis report of IPBES-6, which is now available in HTML and PDF.
Photos by IISD/ENB | Diego Noguera
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Europe and Central Asia Regional Assessment Contact Group
L-R: Maximilien Gueze, IPBES Secretariat; Yuka Otsuki Estrada, IPBES Secretariat; Amor Torre-Marin Rando, IPBES Secretariat; Contact Group Co-Chair Ivar Andreas Baste, Norway; Assessment Co-Chair Markus Fischer, Switzerland; Assessment Co-Chair Mark Rounsevell, United Kingdom (UK); Berta Martín-López, Assessment Coordinating Lead Author; Mike Christie, Assessment Lead Author, UK; and Andrew Church, Assessment Coordinating Lead Author
Contact Group Co-Chair Ivar Andreas Baste, Norway
Mike Christie, Assessment Lead Author, UK
Assessment Co-Chair Mark Rounsevell, UK
Assessment Co-Chair Markus Fischer, Switzerland
Mette Gervin Damsgaard, Denmark
José Romero, Switzerland
Trine Hay Setsaas, Norway
Anna Trakhtenbrot, Israel
Americas Regional Assessment Contact Group
Participants during the contact group
Sarah Weiskopf and David Reidmiller, US
Georgina Catacora-Vargas, Plurinational State of Bolivia
Ana María Hernández Salgar, Colombia
Assessment Co-Chair Jake Rice, Canada
The dais during the contact group
Asia and Pacific Regional Assessment Contact Group
The dais during the contact group
Contact Group Co-Chair Youngbae Suh, Republic of Korea; and Assessment Co-Chair Sonali Senaratna Sellamuttu, Sri Lanka
Joanne Perry, New Zealand
Karin Zaunberger, European Union (EU)
Thomas Brooks, International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)
Naeem Ashraf Raja, Pakistan
Peter Bridgewater, Australia
Africa Regional Assessment Contact Group
Assessment Co-Chair Jo Mulongoy, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)
Carl Fiati, Ghana
Contact Group Co-Chair Alfred Oteng-Yeboah, Ghana
Prudence Tangham Galega, Cameroon
Mariteuw Chimere Diaw, Assessment Coordinating Lead Author, Senegal
Larbi Sbai, Morocco
Participants during the contact group
IPBES Fellows Workshop
Participants engage in communication activities
Signing Ceremony between IPBES and the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF)
L-R: Tim Hirsch, GBIF, and IPBES Executive Secretary Anne Larigauderie
Around the Venue
