Posted: 28 May 2010

The 2010 BIP hosted its third and final side event at CBD SBSTTA and WGRI on the 25th May. This side event supported discussions under Agenda Item 5.1 of WGRI and provided the opportunity to highlight lessons learnt from the 2010 BIP and discuss the relevant outcomes of SBSTTA 14. The side event was kindly chaired by Leon Bennun of BirdLife International who welcomed participants and gave a brief summary of the Partnership. 

Andrew Stott presented findings of the workshop on the sufficiency and scientific rigour of the indicator suite. Main conclusions from the workshop included acknowledgement of over-reliance on existing datasets and the absence of measures on key themes, such as climate change and many aspects of ecosystem services, and the need for the indicators to be presented in a more logical framework. Andrew finished by reiterating recommendations made during SBSTTA on the need to build on and maintain the 2010 BIP. 

Braulio Dias of Brazil’s Ministry of the Environment talked on the findings of the policy relevance group, stating the challenges in translating some of the indicators to be appropriate at the national level.  Lack of appropriate data, uncertainty as to how the indicators relate to each other in developing messages and misunderstandings of policy makers on biodiversity and the framework, all contribute to this issue.

Spencer Thomas of the SBSTTA Bureau explained how the mandate from the Conference of the Parties (COP) did not address the need communications and that any such action has been ad hoc and opportunistic. As such there has been a challenge for governments and others to develop appropriate messages, and in particular to do so in a way that attracts the attention of a variety of audiences, including the economic sectors. He positively emphasised the work of the 2010 BIP in its communication efforts.

Jerry Harrison of UNEP-WCMC provided the final word by encouraging the participants to consider how outcomes of the expert workshop in reading and the experience of the 2010 BIP can contribute to an IPBES process if implemented. 

Full Summary of the Workshop>>