IPBES Plenary Session Makes Inaugural Visit to Biodiverse Continent — Global Issues

by Joyce Chimbi (nairobi)Tuesday, December 03, 2024Inter Press Service

The eleventh session of the IPBES Plenary—IPBES 11—is scheduled to be held in Windhoek, Namibia, from December 10-16, 2024.

Africa is without doubt one of the most ecologically various continents on Earth and is residence to eight of the world’s 34 biodiversity hotspots. Its distinctive ecosystems, species, and genetic range thrive in a variety of spectacular landscapes and seascapes, together with wide-open plains, deserts, mountains, forested cliffs, coral reefs, mangrove forests and the Nice Rift Valley.

This wealthy biodiversity affords vital advantages to folks but in addition presents a variety of challenges and alternatives amid a spiralling international biodiversity disaster.

Dziba advised IPS that the Plenary is the governing physique of IPBES, made up of the representatives of IPBES member States—at the moment 147 from world wide—who meet yearly to “both think about requests from nations for brand new scientific assessments or think about studies of assessments which have been performed by IPBES consultants, and to think about work associated to the opposite features of IPBES of information technology, coverage help and capacity-building.”

“The IPBES members approve the summaries for policymakers of the IPBES evaluation studies and in addition settle for the total studies as properly. IPBES Plenary periods are areas for the co-production of science-policy related info by each scientists and policymakers.”

Position of Biodiversity in Human Nicely-Being, Financial system

IPBES primarily seeks to strengthen the science-policy interface for biodiversity and ecosystem companies for the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity, long-term human well-being, and sustainable growth.

IPBES performs a singular position in harnessing the very best experience from throughout all disciplines and information communities—to offer policy-relevant information and to catalyze the implementation of knowledge-based insurance policies in any respect ranges in authorities, the non-public sector, and civil society.

Dr. David Obura, IPBES Chair, says he’s lucky to be chairing his first Plenary in Africa as the primary ever African Chair of the platform.

“The African continent nonetheless has among the most intact biodiversity remaining. However it isn’t nearly biodiversity for itself; additionally it is how society and the financial system rely upon nature,” Obura says.

“We, subsequently, must deepen our understanding of this connection, and this data ought to in flip mirror inside our coverage processes throughout our nations. The significance of wholesome nature and biodiversity in supporting our economies can’t be overstated, notably as a result of a big proportion of Africa’s inhabitants is rural. These are farmers, pastoralists, and fishers who instantly depend on productive and wholesome ecosystems.”

Obura added that it’s essential to grasp that ecosystems can solely present safety for folks if they’re wholesome, and that the IPBES work in Namibia over the subsequent two weeks can assist to propel continental and international ambitions in keeping with the Kunming-Montreal World Biodiversity Framework, which seeks to halt and reverse the decline of biodiversity and nature’s contributions to folks.

Obura additionally referenced the United Nations Conference to Fight Desertification and the pressing must halt additional losses in Africa in methods which can be good for folks as properly. “It’s all about supporting folks whereas securing biodiversity,” he stated

Amplify African Voice on Science-Coverage Via IPBES

Dziba agrees. He says this primary ever African Plenary session for IPBES provides African nations a fair louder voice as a part of an vital science-policy platform. The IPBES member States make requests for brand new scientific assessments that reply to or handle their particular coverage priorities.

The governments which can be IPBES members primarily have “first entry to scientific merchandise that assist information coverage on varied subjects equivalent to invasive alien species, pollination and administration of pollinators to help agriculture manufacturing, or different areas equivalent to sustainable use of untamed species, together with Africa’s biodiversity.”

Dziba says that the eleventh session of the Plenary might be a possibility to additionally increase the profile of IPBES with African consultants, enabling a wider range of African researchers and knowledge-holders to see firsthand the worth of IPBES as an intergovernmental science coverage platform.

Although Africa and its pure heritage have been a topic of scientific analysis for hundreds of years, Dziba speaks of an ongoing wrestle to enhance participation by African consultants in IPBES work. “The significance of bringing them on board is to leverage their intensive information of the continent, the information gaps they see and the chance to contribute from an African perspective. This inclusion may even give IPBES a stronger, extra inclusive voice and assist form optimistic international narratives about Africa.”

A majority of the latest members of IPBES over the previous two years are governments from the African continent. In the end, the objective is to make sure common IPBES membership of all governments in order that no area is left behind, in the direction of a wholesome and sustainable planet appropriate for all life on Earth.

Obura speaks of the untenable state of lives and livelihoods—of enormous populations residing hand-to-mouth—and the disconnect between folks and nature as folks migrate to cities the place disconnection from nature will increase.

Wealthy Biodiversity Helps Well being, Water, and Meals Techniques

Obura explains that among the many most vital enterprise of this primary African Plenary session would be the consideration of two new landmark IPBES studies. The ‘nexus evaluation’ will discover the vital interlinkages amongst crises in biodiversity, water, meals and well being—within the context of local weather change. It should additionally discover dozens of particular choices for motion to deal with these crises sustainably collectively, quite than in single-issue silos, with a give attention to making certain the conservation and restoration of biodiversity for folks and nature.

Dziba says there are classes that member States can take from Africa too, as “the IPBES Regional Evaluation Report on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Providers for Africa discovered the African continent is the final continent with a largely intact assemblage of megaherbivores (animals bigger than 1,000 kilograms) equivalent to elephants, giraffes, buffalo, rhino, and hippos.”

He emphasised that this signifies that Africa “has accomplished properly in conserving its biodiversity. Africa additionally has the biggest range of enormous carnivores, equivalent to lions, leopards, cheetahs, wild canine, and hyenas. And so, as a continent, we’re the final bastion of biodiversity conservation, and that is each a privilege and an immense duty to proceed to guard that biodiversity.” However that evaluation additionally confirmed that Africa, like different areas of the world, is dropping biodiversity at a price unprecedented in human historical past.

The second evaluation to be thought-about and launched on the upcoming session seems at transformative change—what it’s, why it’s so vital, and the right way to obtain it for extra simply and sustainable futures, particularly amid the continued international crises which can be “increasing quickly of their impacts on folks. Africa is especially susceptible to those crises for a lot of historic and present causes. The query for all nations is the right way to provoke the deep optimistic modifications wanted throughout societies, economies, know-how and governance to maneuver in these nature-positive instructions. The report will assist lay out constructing blocks and instruments to realize that.”

In the end, Obura says, the purpose is to have the 2 studies accepted by the IPBES members within the Plenary to raised inform and serve international and African stakeholders and governments of their selections and actions.

“No effort might be spared to make the studies accessible to allow folks to search out what they should make higher selections and decisions in the direction of a wholesome and sustainable coexistence with nature.”

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