Launch of the first working week 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 meeting at the University of Montpellier to draft a global report, to be completed by 2024, that will assess the causes of biodiversity loss, the drivers of change, and the options for achieving 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 premises.
Under the auspices of the United Nations, IPBES (Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services) is an intergovernmental group of experts on biodiversity whose main mission is to assist governments on biodiversity issues. The work of IPBES is therefore as important for biodiversity as that of the IPCC is for climate change.
Hosting the IPBES technical support unit is perfectly consistent with the scientific orientations 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: promoting a transition to 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 global 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 in the world, recognized at the highest level in global rankings," said Philippe Augé, President of the University of Montpellier.
In fact, in 2021, UM ranks third worldwide in ecology in the Shanghai thematic ranking, but also as the leading French institution in terms of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) according to the THE 2022 ranking, which aims to measure the commitment and performance of higher education institutions in terms of sustainable development. This visibility contributed significantly to IPBES's decision to establish this unit in Montpellier. In contact with a local scientific community fully mobilized on biodiversity issues, these world-renowned experts will thus be able to work in the best conditions on major challenges for the future of the planet.
"This initiative perfectly illustrates our ambition and our international strategy, which aims to increase exchanges, forge solid partnerships with key players in training and research on other continents, and work together to energize global scientific communities to meet the challenges of tomorrow," said the president of UM.