UM Hosts the IPBES Technical Support Unit
The University of Montpellier has been selected to host the technical support unit of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES). This decision places Montpellier at the center of global biodiversity issues.
In July 2021, the IPBES Executive Secretariat – the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services – issued a call for proposals to host a “Technical Support Unit” tasked with supporting the drafting, by 2024, of a global report that will assess the causes of biodiversity loss, the drivers of change, and options for meeting commitments by 2050. The University of Montpellier’s proposal was selected.
Operating under the auspices of the United Nations, IPBES is an intergovernmental panel of experts on biodiversity whose primary mission is to assist governments on biodiversity issues. IPBES’s work is therefore just as important for biodiversity as that of the IPCC is for climate change.
“The University of Montpellier is delighted to have been chosen to host the IPBES Technical Support Unit and thus to welcome to Montpellier some of the researchers contributing to the report. With more than 1,300 scientists working directly on topics related to ecology and biodiversity, Montpellier is home to one of the largest communities in this field worldwide, recognized at the highest level by the Shanghai Ranking, and this community has already been a major contributor to IPBES activities. “We are honored by IPBES’s choice, which places Montpellier at the heart of one of the key issues for the future of the planet,”said Philippe Augé, President of the University.
The proposal from the University of Montpellier was developed with significant support from the Ministry of Higher Education, Research Innovation, which is providing financial support. This proposal was developed by the University of Montpellier on behalf of the MUSE consortium ( ), which it leads, with support from CGIAR, operational assistancefrom Agropolis International, and, of course, the work of the relevant administrative departments and vice presidents of the University.
The IPBES initiative and the upcoming report are fully aligned with the strategic direction that the University of Montpellier is pursuing as part of its I-SITE MUSE project, which involves 15 partner institutions based in Montpellier. Together, and in partnership with international institutions, these institutions are committed to strengthening research, education, and international cooperation to address three interrelated challenges: (i) fostering a transition toward an environmentally sustainable society; (ii) promoting innovative agriculture to contribute to food security and environmental quality; (iii) improving human health in changing environments. Commitment to this new initiative will contribute to these goals.