The UN General Assembly on Monday gave its seal of approval to the creation of a new international body to be called the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES).
The creation of the IPBES caps the end of 2010 - the International Year of Biodiversity - and will expand global efforts to stem the loss of biodiversity and essential eco-systems beyond the realm of research and into the realms of policy-making and action.
In the same way that the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is helping governments and industries assess risks due to climate change and plan for mitigation measures, IPBES is expected to drive action on stemming bio-diversity loss.
“IPBES represents a major breakthrough in terms of organizing a global response to the loss of living organisms and forests, freshwaters, coral reefs and other ecosystems that underpin all life - including economic life - on Earth,” Achim Steiner, UN Under-Secretary General and UNEP Executive Director said.
IPBES will build on the success of the Convention on Biological Diversity that took place in Nagoya, Japan, in October. Governments succeeded in adopting a strategic plan based on a report by the UN’s Green Economy Initiative. The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB) was produced at the request of G8 governments to help define the contributions of ecosystems and biodiversity to local and global economies.
Understanding the role of natural assets in their economies will help governments develop policies and determine regulations relating to those resources.
Coordinated international research, clear policies and well-defined regulations will help businesses plan for future sustainability and risk management. One of the most obvious examples is the fishing industry, which faces depleting fish stocks, variable regulations around the globe, and widespread public scrutiny of its methods.
Not all effects on businesses will be this direct. Measurable standards for biodiversity and eco-system impacts will challenge companies worldwide to improve their performances. Consumers are increasingly demanding sustainable products, as demonstrated by today’s labelling and certification programmes as well as a number of indices and iPhone apps that rate products for ‘greenness’. Further evidence is provided by the public backlash against biomass production, which is shaking up the renewable biofuel sector.
Companies that prepare for biodiversity-friendly practices in their operations and supply chains will have a competitive advantage over those that don’t.
Other groups are working to make this sort of informed decision-making a reality as well. In October for example, the World Bank announced a collaboration with organizations including UNEP to ‘green’ national accounts in order to mainstream ‘natural capital’ within national economic and development plans.
To give a crude example of ‘green’ accounting, a government granting forest concessions might traditionally have taken into account only the value of the timber on the land, and possibly the number of jobs created by the project. ‘Green’ accounting would provide a much more complete picture by including the eco-system services such as water treatment and storage, air purification, carbon storage, soil protection or tourism opportunities. The services also include support for biodiversity by providing habitat for plants and animals, some of which might have significant applications within industries such as pharmaceutical or agricultural. Taking these factors into account drives the real cost of the timber in question significantly higher.
Governments world-wide are already beginning to recognise the significance of a green economy. In October, Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei collectively introduced a report called Financing the Heart of Borneo – a partnership approach to economic sustainability. The report looks at ways to sustainably grow the area by leveraging the concept of eco-system services. Some of the options under consideration include government incentives to local communities for the protection of forest areas and granting rights for bio-prospecting, which involves exploration for genetic materials that might prove useful to the world at large. Indonesia has already secured commitments from Norway, the United States and Germany for the Reducing Emissions from Deforestations and Forest Degradation (REDD) programme, under which developed nations financially reward good forest management by developing countries.
Mr Steiner said the UNGA backing has now triggered a series of steps needed to get the work of the new body up and running. UNEP, as the interim Secretariat, will organize a plenary or meeting of governments in 2011 to decide on issues such as which country will house the independent IPBES and which institutions will host it alongside other institutional arrangements.
While IPBES will support some capacity building in developing countries, its main role will be to catalyse funding to assist developing country scientists and developing country assessments through, for example, harnessing funding via UN agencies; foundations and other sources.
