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  • News article
  • 10 December 2024
  • Directorate-General for Research and Innovation
  • 5 min read

EU delegation joins the 11th Plenary of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES)

Today, EU delegates are joining government representatives and leading experts at the 11th Plenary of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES). This independent international body provides decision makers with the most comprehensive scientific evidence on nature-related issues.

The Plenary, hosted by the Republic of Namibia and held in its capital, Windhoek, is expected to conclude its works on 16 December. It will adopt two major complementary assessment reports together with two summaries for policymakers. The two reports outline key actions needed to address the triple planetary emergency of biodiversity loss, climate change and pollution that we are currently facing.

The Nexus assessment report tackles the intertwined global crises of biodiversity, water, food, health, and climate change. This truly ambitious work bridges single-issue siloes, considers the interdependencies between these crises, uncovers synergies, opportunities and possible trade-offs and offers concrete options for a holistic response that can improve outcomes across the five nexus elements. 

The Transformative Change assessment report focuses on the underlying causes of the biodiversity crisis, the drivers of change and options for achieving a system-wide reorganisation for a fair and sustainable future. The report will inform decisions and actions to be taken by governments, civil society, local communities, etc. to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the long-term targets of the Paris Agreement on climate change.

EU contributions to the IPBES 11th Plenary

On the occasion of the IPBES 11th Plenary, the European Research Council (ERC) and the European Research Executive Agency (REA), together with the Directorate General for Research and Innovation (DG RTD), identified the 14 most relevant Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe projects on the biodiversity nexus.

Additionally, the ERC published a specific report on “transformative change for a sustainable future”. This report analyses over 300 ground-breaking projects across 22 countries, with a total investment of € 653 million. The results shed light on the challenges and opportunities for transformative change and its potential to create the conditions for nature, economy, and society to thrive through a just green transition.

This complements 16 projects managed by REA and will be expanded with new projects to be selected in 2025 under the #BiodivTransform call by the European Biodiversity Partnership Biodiversa+. 

EU and R&I contribution to IPBES and science cooperation for biodiversity

The EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 and the landmark Nature Restoration Law  aim to restore Europe’s biodiversity  with research and innovation playing an important role in achieving this goal. Together with other EU legislation, they support the EU’s international commitments under the 2022 Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, where 196 countries agreed to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030.

To support these ambitious objectives the EU has renewed its commitment to the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) with both funding and expertise. 

The European Union is a major donor to IPBES, contributing €9 million to its Trust Fund (2019-2028) from EU’s research and innovation budget. In addition, through its research programmes (Framework Programme 7, Horizon 2020, Horizon Europe), the EU funds impactful biodiversity research projects that deliver results relevant to IPBES. These projects include coordination actions that fill critical knowledge gaps and deliver policy-relevant outcomes to support the European Green Deal and the Global Biodiversity Framework

Additionally, recognising the importance of science cooperation for biodiversity, Horizon Europe, the EU's research and innovation programme for 2021-2027, will invest over € 1 billion in this important research area. The results of this research will inform future IPBES assessments. Overall, 10% of Horizon Europe budget is devoted to tackling biodiversity, including via four EU Missions – Mission Adaptation to Climate Change, Mission Ocean and Waters, Mission Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities, and Mission a Soil Deal for Europe. These flagship initiatives anchored in EU Research and Innovation are paving the way to accelerate the implementation of the European Green Deal.

Background

The Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) is an independent intergovernmental body that provides decision makers with the most comprehensive scientific information on biodiversity. Established in 2012, the IPBES Platform is currently composed of 147 governmental representatives, hundreds of world experts and observers. The EU has had the status of IPBES enhanced observer since 2018 and it takes part in the IPBES Plenary represented by delegates of the European Commission. Thanks to its functions, IPBES: 

  • Provides objective scientific assessments on biodiversity; 
  • Helps to highlight and prioritise knowledge gaps and research needs on the topic of biodiversity; 
  • Enhances the capacity of institutions and the skills of scientists across Europe and beyond, thanks to scientific cooperation;
  • Supports policymakers with tools and scientific methodologies;
  • Enhances communication and outreach on biodiversity; 
  • Works on the improvement of the effectiveness of the IPBES itself. 

Based on input from thousands of experts, IPBES’s reports are regarded as the most authoritative source of information on the science of biodiversity since they are subject to extensive review by experts and governments, ensuring the highest standards of quality and policy relevance. They inform the UN’s biodiversity negotiations and have played a critical role in shaping the global response to the nature crisis.

11th IPBES Plenary

While the 11th IPBES Plenary will mainly focus on the new assessment reports on nexus and transformative change, it will also decide on the scoping report for the IPBES 2nd Global Assessment scheduled in 2028 and on the future assessment to be delivered in 2029. It will also continue its efforts to boost the engagement with its sister body, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), as the nature and climate crises are intertwined. 

During the Plenary, IPBES will welcome 4 new members (Somalia, Lesotho, Kazakhstan and Seychelles), meaning 147 countries are now members of the Platform, among which 23 EU Member States (Cyprus, Malta, Poland, and Slovenia being observers).

More information

Frontier research for transformative change

Biodiversity: The nexus approach : EU-funded research on biodiversity and its interlinkages with water, food, health and climate change

EU-funded projects leading the way to transformative change for biodiversity

New study on invasive alien species pinpoints patterns of invasion across European ecosystems

The EU and IPBES - Publications Office of the EU

A European Green Deal

Research and innovation for the European Green Deal

EU Missions

IPBES website

Details

Publication date
10 December 2024
Author
Directorate-General for Research and Innovation