Kickoff of the first week of work for experts from the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) in Montpellier
On Monday, May 9, 2022, IPBES experts began their first week of work by gathering at the University of Montpellier to draft, by 2024, a global report that will assess the causes of biodiversity loss, the drivers of change, and the options for meeting commitments by 2050. Organized by the University of Montpellier and the IPBES Executive Secretariat, with logistical support from Agropolis International, the intensive week of work for the nearly 100 selected international experts will take place at the Agropolis International facilities.
Operating under the auspices of the United Nations, IPBES (the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services) is an intergovernmental group of experts on biodiversity whose primary mission is to assist governments on biodiversity issues. The work of IPBES is therefore just as important for biodiversity as that of the IPCC is for the issue of climate change
The establishment of the IPBES Technical Support Unit is fully aligned with the scientific priorities of the University of Montpellier
In July 2021, the IPBES Executive Secretariat accepted the University of Montpellier’s proposal to host its Technical Support Unit. This is a wonderful recognition of the work carried out since 2017 by UM and its ISITE project partners around three major scientific objectives for society: fostering a transition toward an environmentally friendly society, promoting innovative agriculture to contribute to food security and environmental quality, and improving human health in changing environments.
“The University of Montpellier is delighted to have begun its first week of work on Monday with the IPBES Technical Support Unit and its international researchers, who will contribute to this report on biodiversity issues. “With more than 1,300 scientists working directly on topics related to ecology and the environment, Montpellier is home to one of the largest communities in this field worldwide, recognized at the highest level in global rankings,” said Philippe Augé, President of the University of Montpellier.
In fact, in 2021, the UM ranked third worldwide in ecology in the Shanghai subject-specific rankings, and also ranked first among French institutions in terms of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) according to the 2022 THE rankings, which aim to measure the commitment and performance of higher education institutions in the area of sustainable development. This visibility played a significant role in IPBES’s decision to establish this unit in Montpellier. Working alongside a local scientific community fully committed to biodiversity issues, these world-renowned experts will thus be able to work under optimal conditions on major challenges for the future of the planet.
“This initiative perfectly illustrates our ambition and our international strategy, which aims to expand exchanges, forge strong partnerships with key players in education and research on other continents, and work together to foster global scientific communities in order to meet the challenges of tomorrow,” said the president of UM.