ABSTRACT
The objective of the International Platform for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) is to strengthen the science-policy interface for the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity, long-term human wellbeing and sustainable development. IPBES was launched in 2012 after a long process that started in 2008. Stakeholders participated in the inception of the platform and are also expected to play a key role in forthcoming IPBES assessments and reports. In order to encourage stakeholder participation and self-organization, an institutional process is under way, coordinated by the IPBES Secretariat in collaboration with two main organizations: the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN – see Box 8.1) and the International Council for Science (ICSU – see Box 8.2). The “stakeholder days” just before conference plenaries and other informal meetings have led to the establishment of a stakeholder engagement strategy (SES) which “has been identified as an important element for the relevance, effectiveness, credibility and overall success of the Platform” (IPBES/3/16, 2014). According to the IPBES Secretariat, the establishment of a stakeholder
engagement strategy is an institutional innovation that is not yet found in other science-policy interfaces, notably the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The identification of IPBES stakeholders is a complex task as
there is a great diversity of individuals, organizations, networks, programmes and constituencies working across different sectors and scales (local, national, sub-regional, regional and global) that need to be considered. The complexity of these tasks is increased by the levels in which stakeholders operate (local, national, sub-regional, regional, global). Other parameters include the diversity of disciplines (natural, social and economic sciences), the different types of knowledge (traditional, local and indigenous) and the different sectors (industry, health, food, energy, etc.). The cultural differences, language barriers, differing
stakeholder interests and different mandates and governance arrangements represent additional factors to take into consideration.
