IGES is honored to announce that, today, the Intergovernmental Platform for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) technical support unit (TSU) for the thematic assessment of invasive alien species and their control was established at the IGES Tokyo Sustainability Forum with the support of the Ministry of the Environment of the Government of Japan.
IPBES is an independent intergovernmental body and provides policymakers with objective scientific assessments about the state of knowledge regarding the planet’s biodiversity and ecosystem services. In terms of its function, IPBES is sometimes referred to as “biodiversity’s equivalent to the IPCC”. The TSU for the assessment of invasive alien species will be the second IPBES TSU to be hosted at IGES, as IGES has been providing support to IPBES’s regional assessment on biodiversity and ecosystem services for Asia and the Pacific since 2015, and contributed to the approval of the regional assessment report in March 2018.
Invasion by alien species is recognised as one of the most serious threats to biodiversity, and its prevention and management is gaining importance in the modern era of expanding globalisation. In this project, around 70 experts selected from around the world will work on the scientific assessment of the status and trends of invasive alien species, their threats to biodiversity and socio-economy, and policies or measures for their prevention. The final report will be published in 2022.
The outcomes of this assessment are expected to be utilised by policymakers at all levels, from local to national to regional. It will also contribute to the achievement of the global biodiversity framework beyond 2020 to be adopted by the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), as well as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Dr. Anne Larigauderie, Executive Secretary of IPBES, welcomed the announcement and issued the following remarks: “The well-being of every person is directly connected to biodiversity – of ecosystems, species and genetic resources. Invasive alien species are among the greatest threats to this natural life-support system, which is why decision-makers in every country and at every level need better evidence and more effective policy options to act against such threats. Our 132 member States have recognised this need, and tasked IPBES to undertake a new global scientific assessment of invasive alien species. We are delighted and grateful that the technical support for this crucial report will be provided, over the next three years, by the accomplished staff of the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES), with the support of the Ministry of the Environment of the Government of Japan.”
As the host of the TSU for the assessment of invasive alien species, IGES will continue to contribute to strengthen the interface between science and policy, and to maintain and improve biodiversity and ecosystem services by providing an essential knowledge base.
About IPBES
The Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) is an independent intergovernmental body, established by member States in 2012. It provides policymakers with objective scientific assessments about the state of knowledge regarding the planet’s biodiversity, ecosystems and the benefits they provide to people, as well as the tools and methods to protect and sustainably use these vital natural assets.
The IPBES mission is to strengthen knowledge foundations for better policy through science, for the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity, long-term human well-being and sustainable development. To some extent, IPBES does for biodiversity what the IPCC does for climate change. As of February 2019, IPBES has 132 member States. Its Secretariat is located in Bonn, Germany.