We live on the soil she gives us, We breath the air she provides, We eat the fruits from the fields and trees around us. And yet, we take her for granted. She satisfies our thirst for water, She eases us with a light rustling of green leaves when we are out of balance, […]
It requires a little luck and steadiness to reach Benjamin Von Wong. And it also requires a lot of organizational talent regarding the time difference between Germany and the US west coast. But when we finally “meet” via Skype, the 31-year-old photographer is a very interesting and dedicated interview partner and not really what one […]
In my last article, I wrote about palm oil and the problems with this substance found almost everywhere. Instead of only writing about the problems I decided to take action and have a closer look at how palm oil is influencing my daily life. So, let’s begin with the facts. To find out when I […]
Smoke swells from the thick, green canopy of Indonesian rainforests. Orphaned orangutans cry for their mothers who were killed in the bush fires. Local inhabitants, children, women, men are inhaling the yellow swaths, only protected by dirty, once white masks; the air is filled with almost invisible particles of ashes coming from the burning forests. […]
As International Women’s Day is celebrated, we would like to draw special attention and gratitude toward the many brilliant female leaders, participants, and volunteers at IPBES5–especially our own Global Change Ecology students who have contributed so much to this conference. IPBES Chair Sir Robert Walton released the following statement: “The issue of gender is of […]
The plenary has broken up into the various contact groups. Group 1 has discussed issues of local and indigenous knowledge and the review of IPBES. Issues discussed include the scope of the review, who will conduct the review, budget considerations, and how the results of the review will be used. Group 2, meanwhile, has discussed […]
In addition to the IPBES assessments currently underway, three assessments from the first Work Programme are still pending: A values assessment An assessment of invasive species An assessment of sustainable use of wild species. Each of these assessments would cost approximately $1 million USD and take three years to complete. Numerous countries, including Mexico, Colombia, […]
In kind, contributions of an estimated US$14 million dollars have been made to IPBES since 2014. This was in the form of time spent by experts on preparing the assessments. Nonetheless, IPBES is strapped for cash. There is not enough money for IPBES to continue with its current assessments. Members have been encouraged to provide […]
During both broad plenary meetings and smaller, break-off group discussions, the importance of elevating and incorporating the knowledge and expertise of indigenous and local peoples was a reoccurring theme. The incorporation of indigenous knowledge cannot be limited to late-stage discussions. Rather, successful implementation of the IPBES work programme must necessarily involve local and indigenous actors […]
“Biodiversity and ecosystem services are just as important as climate change!” This was the opening statement from the Chair of The Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) Sir Robert Watson at the Stakeholder Day at IPBES 5. A major goal of IPBESin the future is making people aware that biodiversity is both relevant […]
