The Intergovernmental Platform for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), an international body established in 2012, is intended to strengthen the role of science in decision-making as it relates to the conservation and sustainable management of biodiversity and ecosystem services. Over the next several years, IPBES will conduct assessments addressing biodiversity and ecosystem services at global to subregional scales. The U.S. government and members of the scientific community have been involved from the start in the conception and establishment of IPBES, which can enhance the value of U.S. science initiatives such as the Long Term Ecological Research Network, National Ecological Observatory Network, and others to global and national science-based decision making. Furthermore, IPBES assessments can provide data and knowledge to proposed policy initiatives, for example, the Quadrennial Ecosystems Services Trends Assessment, which would periodically assess conditions, trends, and challenges to sustainability of U.S. ecosystems; and the Ecoinformatics-based Open Resources and Machine Accessibility initiative, which would facilitate integration and use of biodiversity and ecosystems data across the federal government.
In order to strengthen U.S. engagement in IPBES, it is critically important to effectively inform the scientific community about the wide range of opportunities for contributing to and benefiting from IPBES activities. The Ecological Society of America (ESA) is awarded a grant to support that engagement. ESA will develop and implement a process for identifying possible U.S. nominees for IPBES expert panels, working groups, and reviews; network with other professional societies, nongovernmental organizations, and trade groups; publicize opportunities to participate in IPBES; recommend nominees for participation in IPBES activities; and assist in developing webinars and conference sessions on IPBES assessments and other activities.
