Abstract
ABSTRACT The end of the first working program of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) provided an opportunity to draw lessons from its work. This perspective paper captures insights from ecosystem services (ES) researchers and practitioners, largely drawing from the European context (referred to herein as ‘ES community’), on this key science–policy interface. We synthesize reflections from a workshop on how (i) IPBES can engage the ES community; (ii) the ES community can engage with IPBES; and (iii) individual scientists can contribute. We note that IPBES constitutes a great advancement towards multidisciplinarity and inclusivity in ES research and practice. Key reflections for IPBES are that funding and visibility at ES research events could be improved, the contribution and selection processes could be more transparent, and communication with experts improved. Key reflections for the ES community include a need to improve policy-relevance by integrating more social scientists, researchers from developing countries, early-career scientists and policy-makers. Key reflections directed towards individual scientists include contributing (pro)actively to science–policy interface initiatives such as IPBES and increasing transdisciplinary research. These reflections intend to contribute to the awareness of challenges and opportunities for institutions, groups and individuals working on ES.
Highlights
In 2012, the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES1) was established as an international independent body under the auspices of the United Nations
All workshop participants were asked to locate their current work against two key axes, in order to understand the spread of disciplinary relationships to natural or social systems, and the level of affiliation that they felt with the ecosystem services (ES) community and IPBES
The majority of participants considered themselves as more closely affiliated with Ecosystem Services Partnership (ESP) than to IPBES and working on natural systems rather than on social systems (Supplementary Material 2, Figure 1). 34 participants from the workshop provided additional details on their gender, career stage, discipline, regional focus and engagement with IPBES
Summary
IPBES aims further than previous initiatives (e.g. Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, 2005; The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity, 2010) by pursuing a clear commitment to multi- and transdisciplinary approaches that cover diverse types of knowledge, worldviews and regions (Max-Neef 2005; Timpte et al 2018; Vadrot et al 2018; Christie et al 2019). The effectiveness of such a science-policy body relies on its success in achieving collaborations with a range of stakeholders in order to generate and convey a robust knowledge base and recommendations to decision-makers and the wider society. The aim of this perspective paper is to present lessons learned, constructive criticism, and recommendations regarding the interaction between the IPBES process and the wider ES community
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