IPBES report: “a true forward-looking tour de force”

[Article] - Published on February 17, 2025 in Major Programs, International Partnerships

In December 2024, at its^11th plenary meeting, the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) validated an assessment and summary of existing knowledge to help governments and the general public address current ecological challenges. The University of Montpellier hosts the technical support unit that assisted in drafting this report. We meet with its director, Laurence Périanin.

What are the missions of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services?

IPBES was created in 2012, with France's active support from the outset, based on what had been done for the IPCC. In fact, IPBES is often referred to as the "IPCC of biodiversity," but it is much more than that. IPBES has several other functions besides assessing existing knowledge. It catalyzes the production of new knowledge, supports policy formulation and implementation, and builds the capacity of its 148 member states. To this end, it includes forms of knowledge other than scientific knowledge, such as indigenous and local knowledge, which is very specific to IPBES.

How did the University of Montpellier become involved in the work of IPBES?

In 2021, UM responded to a call for tenders from IPBES to host the technical support unit for this assessment of transformative changes. Participation in this assessment demonstrates the University of Montpellier's strong political will to invest in and be visible internationally on structuring and meaningful projects. With this technical support unit, UM supports the work of a group of around 100 international experts in drafting the assessment.

How was this technical support unit set up?

There are three of us: Camille Guibal, who is the program manager and works closely with the experts; Anouk Renaud, who is the assistant and handles all logistics and administrative tasks; and myself. I am responsible for the unit and must supervise and ensure that deadlines are met, in conjunction with the structural programs department. Although I started out as a hydrobiologist, I then worked as a civil servant at the Ministry of Ecological Transition, where I was interested in the issue of transformative change. That's when I applied to the University to take on the responsibility of the technical support unit.

Can you explain how the report was produced?

This assessment of transformative change raises the question of what needs to be done to achieve the "2050 vision of living in harmony with nature" set out in the Convention on Biological Diversity. The publication of this report is the culmination of three years of work involving around 100 experts. They examined case studies to assess their transformative potential and propose strategies needed to overcome the crisis. A total of 7,000 articles were reviewed to produce this unprecedented analysis of the prospective changes needed to respond to the biodiversity crisis. This work represents a remarkable feat of foresight.

What is the role of this technical support unit in the work carried out by IPBES?

We coordinate and pace the work of scientists and experts, organize their meetings, answer their questions about the drafting process, and assist them in adapting the text following two public reviews of the manuscript (nearly 9,000 comments received). The work is done entirely in English. We do not intervene in the content, as we must not "influence the report," but we are responsible for ensuring its quality. Sometimes we have to guide the experts to prevent them from straying off course and use diplomacy to facilitate the co-production process.

What difficulties did you encounter during this mission?

The UM was heavily involved in setting up a working framework that would enable us to complete this mission. We had to be flexible with our schedules in order to communicate with the volunteer experts, who often worked evenings and weekends across a wide range of time zones. We participated in numerous meetings involving international travel, during which we had many responsibilities and long working hours, sometimes for several weeks in a row. Everything was done to ensure the success of this project, particularly with the DPS, which is our host organization, and Agropolis, which provided us with office space. Thanks to all of this, the work has been completed and done well.

IPBES presented this report at a press conference in Namibia on December 18, 2024. Were you there? What's next for you?

Yes, of course, we were there to prepare the experts and help them respond to the media. Our work continues: over the next six months, we have to finalize the report, as many changes were made during the plenary session. We will focus on communicating and promoting this work, in particular by drafting thematic fact sheets to provide a quicker overview of certain topics covered in the report. The UM, in collaboration with the agriculture, environment, and biodiversity cluster, will host a launch event in March. The idea is to encourage the various stakeholders to participate in the work of IPBES. At the end of this work phase, the unit will be dissolved in the summer of 2025 at the end of its three-year mission.

Keywords: Biodiversity, Climate, Ecology, International, Research