Primary production, including agriculture, aquaculture, forestry and fisheries is the strongest driver of biodiversity loss globally. It can, however, contribute to biodiversity conservation if wisely managed such as in ‘Satoyama’ and ‘Satoumi’, or socio-ecological production landscapes and seascapes (SEPLS), where production activities support...
On Thursday 12 November 2020, United Nations University Institute for the Advanced Study of Sustainability (UNU-IAS) and Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES) convened a session entitled “The Satoyama Initiative, transformative change, and societies in harmony with nature” at the 12th International Forum for Sustainable Asia and the...
Recent assessment reports by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) have highlighted the risks to humanity arising from the unsustainable use of natural resources. Thus far, land, freshwater, and ocean exploitation have been the chief...
This briefing note overviews key international biodiversity processes, products and events in 2020 and 2021. Geared especially for those who are less familiar with the topic, it covers ongoing developments with respect to the post-2020 global biodiversity framework (GBF); key meetings of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD); the UN...
These slides were used for a video commentary on the main takeaways of the 75th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA75), which was held virtually for the first time in the history of the UN in 2020. There are two versions of the video commentary available (short and extended) and they provide insight into the five crises of focus...
This review of trends in inland saline lakes of Europe and Central Asia is based on the relevant section of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) Regional Assessment Report for Europe and Central Asia (ECA). We assessed the present status of ECA saline lakes and the effects of direct drivers...