Over 130 countries to participate in event on biodiversity and ecosystem assessment

In May 2019, representatives of 130 governments, including India, will be presented for discussion and possible approval of a global assessment report on biodiversity and ecosystem services since 2005, it was announced on Tuesday.

Prepared by 150 leading international experts from 50 countries, with additional contributions from a further 250 experts, working with the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), the Global Assessment of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services will point to better policies and action in the coming decade.

The report will be presented at the seventh session of the IPBES Plenary in Paris from April 29 to May 4, 2019.

A detailed 'Summary for Policy Makers' of the report will be launched at Unesco world headquarters in Paris on May 6.

"The loss of species, ecosystems and genetic diversity is already a global and generational threat to human well-being," IPBES Chair Sir Robert Watson said in a statement.

"Protecting the invaluable contributions of nature to people will be the defining challenge of decades to come. Policies, efforts and actions -- at every level -- will only succeed, however, when based on the best knowledge and evidence. This is what the IPBES Global Assessment provides."

Three years in development, at a total cost of more than $2.4 million, the IPBES Global Assessment draws on nearly 15,000 references, including scientific papers and government information.

It is also the first global assessment ever to systematically examine and include indigenous and local knowledge, issues and priorities.

It examines the causes of biodiversity and ecosystem change, the implications for people, policy options and likely future pathways over the next three decades if current trends continue, and other scenarios.

Building upon earlier IPBES assessment reports, especially the recently released Land Degradation and Restoration Assessment and the Regional Assessment Reports for Africa, the report evaluates changes over the past 50 years -- and implications for economies, livelihoods, food security and quality of life.

With 130 member governments, the IPBES is the global body that assesses the state of biodiversity and nature's contributions to people, in response to requests from decision-makers, and outlines options for the future based on different socio-economic choices.

(With inputs from agencies.)