Media release: Dangerous collapse of nature 'unprecedented'; Species extinction rates 'accelerating' (2023)

Intergovernmental Science Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES)

Press release issued on May 6, 2019

(Click here to see the text in French)

• Summary for decision makers, full report, etc.:https://ipbes.net/global-assessment
• Media launch of the #IPBES7 live webcast (Paris, France):bit.ly/IPBESWebcaststarts at 1pm (Paris time - CEST) / 7am (US EDT) / noon (London - BST)
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Dangerous collapse of nature 'unprecedented'
Species extinction rates 'accelerating'

The current global response is insufficient;
"Transformational changes" needed to restore and protect nature;
Opposition from vested interests can be overcome for the public good

The most comprehensive assessment of its kind;
1,000,000 endangered species

Nature around the world is shrinking at a rate unprecedented in human history, and the rate of species extinction is accelerating, which could have a serious impact on people around the world, warns a groundbreaking new report from the Intergovernmental Science and Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), whose summary was approved at the 7th session of the IPBES Plenary Assembly held last week (April 29 to May 4) in Paris.

"The overwhelming evidence from the IPBES Global Assessment, drawn from many different disciplines, paints a grim picture," said IPBES President Sir Robert Watson. “The ecosystems that we and all other species depend on are deteriorating faster than ever. We are destroying the foundations of our economies, livelihoods, food security, health and quality of life around the world."

"The report also tells us that it's not too late to make a difference, but only if we start now at every level, from local to global," he said. “With 'transformative change', nature can continue to be protected, restored and used sustainably – it is also critical to achieving most other global goals. By transformative change, we mean a fundamental and systemic reorganization of technological, economic and social factors, including paradigms, goals and values”.

“IPBES plenary member states have now recognized that transformative change by its very nature can expect opposition from those with vested interests in the status quo, but also that such opposition can be overcome for the broader public good,” said Watson.

The IPBES Global Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services Report is the most comprehensive ever produced. This is the first intergovernmental report of its kind, building on the groundbreaking 2005 Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, presenting innovative ways to assess the evidence.

Developed by 145 expert authors from 50 countries over the past three years, with contributions from another 310 co-authors, the report assesses changes over the last five decades, providing a comprehensive view of the relationship between economic development paths and their impact on nature. It also offers a range of possible scenarios for the coming decades.

Based on a systematic review of nearly 15,000 scientific and government sources, the Report also draws (for the first time on this scale) on indigenous and local knowledge, particularly in relation to issues relevant to indigenous peoples and local communities.

“Biodiversity and nature's contribution to people is our shared heritage and the most important 'safety net' for sustaining humankind's life. But our safety net is almost reaching the breaking point', said Prof. Sandra Díaz (Argentina), who co-chaired the evaluation together with prof. Josef Settele (Germany) and prof. Eduardo S. Brondízio (Brazil and USA). "Diversity within species, between species and ecosystems, as well as many of the fundamental benefits we derive from nature, are rapidly diminishing, even though we still have the means to ensure a sustainable future for people and the planet."

The report states that around 1 million species of animals and plants are now threatened with extinction, many within decades, more than ever before in human history.

The average abundance of native species in most major terrestrial habitats has declined by at least 20%, mostly since 1900. More than 40% of amphibian species, nearly 33% of reef-forming corals and more than a third of all marine mammals are at risk. The picture is less clear for insect species, but available evidence supports the initial 10% threat estimate. At least 680 vertebrate species have gone extinct since the 16th century, and more than 9% of all domesticated mammal breeds used for food and agriculture went extinct in 2016, with at least 1,000 other breeds still at risk.

“Ecosystems, species, wild populations, local varieties and breeds of domesticated plants and animals are declining, deteriorating or disappearing. The basic, interconnected web of life on Earth is getting smaller and more patchy," said Prof. Settels. "This loss is a direct result of human activity and is a direct threat to human well-being in all regions of the world."

To enhance the report's policy relevance, the authors of the assessment, for the first time on this scale and based on an in-depth analysis of available evidence, ranked the five direct drivers of change in nature with the greatest global impact relative to date. These culprits are, in descending order: (1) changes in land and sea use; (2) direct exploration of organisms; (3) climate change; (4) pollution and (5) invasive alien species.

The report notes that greenhouse gas emissions have doubled since 1980, raising average global temperatures by at least 0.7 degrees Celsius – with climate change already affecting nature from the ecosystem level down to genetics – this impact is set to increase over the coming decades, in some cases outweighing the impact of changes in land and sea use and other factors.

Despite progress in nature conservation and policy implementation, the report also concludes that the global goals of conserving and sustainably using nature and achieving sustainable development cannot be achieved on current trajectories and that the 2030 goals are driven by political and technological factors. With good progress on elements of only four of Aichi's 20 biodiversity goals, most are likely to fail by 2020. Current negative trends in biodiversity and ecosystems will hamper progress towards the 80% (35 of 44) poverty-related SDGs assessed , hunger , health, water, cities, climate, oceans and land (SDGs 1, 2, 3, 6, 11, 13, 14 and 15). Biodiversity loss therefore becomes not only an environmental issue, but also a developmental, economic, security, social and moral issue.

“To better understand and, more importantly, address the root causes of biodiversity damage and nature's impact on humans, we need to understand the global history and interconnections of the complex demographic and economic drivers of change, as well as the social values ​​that support them," said Prof. Brondízio. "Key indirect drivers include rising population and per capita consumption; technological innovations that in some cases reduced and in others increased the damage done to nature; and, most importantly, governance and accountability issues. A pattern of global interconnection and 'telecoupling' is emerging - with resource extraction and production generally taking place in one part of the world to meet the needs of distant consumers in other regions."

Other notable findings from the report include:[1]:

• Three-quarters of the land environment and about 66% of the marine environment have been significantly altered by human activities. On average, these trends were less severe or avoided in areas owned or managed by indigenous peoples and local communities.
• More than a third of the world's land area and nearly 75% of fresh water is currently devoted to crop or livestock production.
• The value of agricultural production has increased by around 300% since 1970, the harvest of wood raw material has increased by 45% and around 60 billion tons of renewable and non-renewable resources are extracted in the world each year - almost doubling since 1980.
• Land degradation has reduced the productivity of 23% of global land area, up to $577 billion of the world's annual crops are at risk of pollinator loss, and 100 to 300 million people are at increased risk of floods and hurricanes due to loss of coastal habitat and protection.
• In 2015, 33% of marine fish stocks were caught at unsustainable levels; 60% were fished as sustainably as possible and only 7% were fished at levels below what can be fished sustainably.
• Urban areas have more than doubled in size since 1992.
• Plastic pollution has increased tenfold since 1980, 300-400 million tons of heavy metals, solvents, toxic sludge and other waste from industrial plants end up in the world's waters every year, and fertilizers seeping into coastal ecosystems have created more than 400 "dead" oceans. zones". with a total area of ​​over 245,000 km2 (591-595) - a combined area larger than the UK.
• Negative trends in nature will persist through 2050 and beyond in all policy scenarios analyzed in the Report, except those involving transformational changes – due to the projected impacts of intensifying land-use change, exploitation of organisms and climate change, albeit with differences significant across regions.

The report also presents a wide range of exemplary actions for sustainable development and pathways to achieve them in various sectors such as agriculture, forestry, marine systems, freshwater systems, urban areas, energy, finance and many others. It stresses the importance of, inter alia, adopting integrated management and cross-sectoral approaches that consider trade-offs in food and energy production, infrastructure, coastal and freshwater management, and biodiversity conservation.

The evolution of global financial and economic systems towards building a sustainable global economy, moving away from the current paradigm of limited economic growth, was also considered a key element of a more sustainable future policy.

"The IPBES presents credible science, experience and policy options for policymakers to consider," said IPBES Executive Secretary Dr. Anne Larigauderie. "Thank you to the hundreds of experts around the world who have donated their time and expertise to help address the loss of species, ecosystems and genetic diversity – a truly global and generational threat to human well-being."

- FIM -

[1]More details on the wide range of other agreements are provided in the "Additional Information" section of this announcement below.

Notes to editors:

For inquiries and interviews, contact:

IPBES media team
media@ipbes.net
www.ipbes.net

For interviews:French: +33 62520-0281English: +1-416-878-8712 or +1-415-290-5516 or +49-176-2538-2223 (after May 7: +49-152-3830-0667)

IPBES has just released the Summary for Policymakers (SPM) of its Global Assessment report. The SPM presents key messages and policy options endorsed by the IPBES Plenary. To access SPM, photos, "B-roll" and other multimedia resources, go to:bit.ly/IPBESReport. The full six-chapter report (including all data) is expected to exceed 1,500 pages and be published later this year.

Additional Resources:

For your convenience, the "Further Information" section below summarizes a number of issues raised in the Report, in particular regarding:

• The scale of nature loss
• Indigenous peoples, local communities and nature
• Global goals and policy scenarios
• Policy tools, options and best practices
• In numbers: key stats and facts

Comments from IPBES partnersOn the importance of the Report:

• Joyce Msuya, Acting Director, United Nations Environment
• Audrey Azoulay, Director General of UNESCO
• José Graziano da Silva, Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
• Achim Steiner, Administrator of the United Nations Development Program
• Cristian Paşca Palmer, Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity

The IPBE:

Often referred to as the "IPCC for Biodiversity", the IPBES is an independent intergovernmental body with over 130 member governments. Established by governments in 2012, it provides policymakers with objective scientific assessments of the state of knowledge about the planet's biodiversity, ecosystems and their contribution to human life, as well as tools and methods for the conservation and sustainable use of these important natural resources. For more information about the IPBES and its ratings, visit the websitewww.ipbes.net

Introduction video to IPBES:www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOiGio7YU-M

Additional videos:

• IPBES Assessment of Land Degradation and Recovery(2018):www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCt7aai17Nk
• IPBES Regional Assessments of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services(2018):www.youtube.com/watch?v=kR0HeepbWCc
• IPBES assessment of pollinators, pollination and food production(2016):www.youtube.com/watch?v=YwkYbeiwK5A
• IPBES assessment of biodiversity scenarios and models(2016):www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZfcDmtGa9I

Follow IPBES on social media:
twitter.com/@ipbes
Linkedin.com/company/ipbes
youtube.com/ipbeskanal
facebook.com/ipbes
instagram.com/ipbes_

More information on key report issues

The scale of nature loss

Gains from social and political reactions, although important, did not prevent huge losses.

Since the 1970s, trends in agricultural production, fisheries, bioenergy production and materials supply have increased in response to population growth, increased demand and technological development, resulting in a high price that has been unevenly distributed within and between countries. However, many other key indicators of nature's impact on humans, such as soil organic carbon and pollinator diversity, have declined, indicating that material benefits are often not sustainable.

The pace of agricultural expansion into intact ecosystems varied from country to country. The loss of intact ecosystems has occurred mainly in the tropics, where the highest levels of biodiversity on the planet occur. For example, between 1980 and 2000, 100 million hectares of rainforest were lost, mostly to livestock in Latin America (about 42 million hectares) and plantations in Southeast Asia (about 7.5 million hectares, 80% of which are palm oil, mainly used in food, cosmetics, cleaning products and fuel).

Since 1970, the world's human population has more than doubled (from 3.7 billion to 7.6 billion), increasing unevenly across countries and regions; and the gross domestic product per capita is four times higher – and consumers are shifting the environmental burden of consumption and production between increasingly distant regions.

The average abundance of native species in most major terrestrial habitats has declined by at least 20%, mostly since 1900.

The number of invasive alien species per country has increased by about 70% since 1970 in 21 countries with detailed data.

For example, the distribution of nearly half (47%) of flightless land mammals and nearly a quarter of endangered birds may already be adversely affected by climate change.

Indigenous peoples, local communities and nature

At least a quarter of the global land area is traditionally owned, managed, used or occupied by indigenous peoples. These areas cover about 35% of the formally protected area and about 35% of all other land areas with very little human disturbance.

Nature managed by indigenous peoples and local communities is under increasing pressure, but is generally declining more slowly than in other countries – although 72% of local indicators developed and used by indigenous peoples and local communities indicate degradation of nature, which it is the basis of local livelihoods.

Areas of the world projected to experience significant negative impacts from global climate change, biodiversity, ecosystem services and nature's impact on people are also areas with high concentrations of indigenous peoples and many of the world's poorest communities.

Regional and global scenarios are lacking and would benefit from explicit consideration of the views, perspectives and rights of indigenous peoples and local communities, their knowledge and understanding of large regions and ecosystems, and their desired future development pathways. Recognition of the knowledge, innovations and practices, institutions and values ​​of indigenous peoples and local communities and their inclusion and participation in environmental management often improves their quality of life, as well as the protection, restoration and sustainable use of nature. Their positive contribution to sustainable development can be facilitated through national recognition of land ownership, access rights and resource rights under national law, use of free, prior and informed consent and better cooperation, fair and equitable sharing benefits of use, and co-management agreements with local communities.

Global goals and policy scenarios

The past and continuing rapid declines in biodiversity, ecosystem services and nature's many contributions to humans mean that most international social and environmental targets such as those contained in the Aichi Biodiversity Targets and the 2030 Agenda for the Sustainable Development, will not be achieved based on current trajectories.

The report's authors analyzed six policy scenarios - very different "basket" of policy options and approaches grouped together, including "regional competition", "business as usual" and "global sustainability" - projecting the likely impacts on biodiversity and the contribution of nature for people on these pathways by 2050. They concluded that, with the exception of scenarios involving transformational changes, negative trends in nature, ecosystem services and their many contributions to human life will continue through 2050, such as changes in use, exploitation of organisms and climate change.

Policy tools, options and practice patterns

Political action and social initiatives help raise awareness of the impact of consumption on nature, protect the local environment, promote a sustainable local economy and rehabilitate degraded areas. Along with initiatives at different levels, they have contributed to expanding and strengthening the current network of ecologically representative and well-connected networks of protected areas and other effective measures for site protection, watershed protection, and incentives and sanctions to reduce pollution.

The report presents an exemplary list of possible actions and pathways for their implementation in the various locations, systems and scales most likely to support sustainable development. Integrated approach:

CagricultureThe report highlights, among others, the following: promotion of good agricultural and agroecological practices; cross-functional landscape planning (which simultaneously provides food security, habitability, species maintenance and ecological functions) and intersectoral integrated management. It also highlights the importance of deeper involvement of all actors in the food system (including producers, the public sector, civil society and consumers) and more integrated landscape and watershed management; maintaining the diversity of genes, varieties, cultivars, breeds, local breeds and species; and approaches that empower consumers and producers through market transparency, better distribution and location (which revives local economies), reformed supply chains and reduced food waste.

Cmarine systemsthe report points out, among other things, about: an ecosystem approach to fisheries management; Territorial Planning; actual amounts; marine protected areas; protection and management of key areas of marine biodiversity; reducing the pollution that flows into the oceans and working closely with producers and consumers.

Cfresh water systems, policy options and actions include, but are not limited to: more inclusive management of water resources for shared water management and greater equity; better integration of water resources management and landscape planning at different scales; promote practices that reduce soil erosion, sedimentation and runoff; increase water storage; promote investment in water projects with clear sustainability criteria; as well as addressing the fragmentation of many freshwater policies.

Curban areasThe report draws attention to: promoting nature-based solutions; increase access to urban services and a healthy urban environment for low-income communities; improve access to green areas; sustainable production and consumption and ecological connectivity in urban spaces, in particular with native species.

In all examples, the Report recognizes the importance of taking into account different value systems and different interests and worldviews in formulating policies and actions. This includes the full and effective participation of indigenous peoples and local communities in governance, reform and development of incentive structures and ensuring that biodiversity is prioritized in all major sectoral plans.

“We have already seen the first signs of transformative change actions and initiatives, such as the innovative policies of many countries, local authorities and businesses, but especially young people around the world,” said Sir Robert Watson. “From the young global creators of the #VoiceforthePlanet movement to school climate strikes, there is a basis for understanding that urgent action is needed if we are to secure anything approaching a sustainable future. The IPBES Global Assessment Report provides the best available expert evidence to guide decisions, policies and actions, and provides the scientific basis for the Biodiversity Framework and the new Ten Year Biodiversity Targets to be set in late 2020 in China under the auspices of the United States Convention on Biodiversity.

In numbers - key statistics and facts from the report

In general

• 75%: Land environment 'severely altered' to date by human activities (marine environments 66%)
• 47%: Decrease in global indicators of ecosystem extent and health compared to their estimated natural baselines, with many still decreasing by at least 4% per decade
• 28%: Global area of ​​land owned and/or managed by indigenous peoples, including >40% of formally protected land and 37% of all other land with very little human disturbance
• +/-60 billion: Tons of renewable and non-renewable resources mined each year worldwide, an increase of nearly 100% since 1980.
• 15%: increase in per capita global material consumption since 1980
• >85%: Wetlands existing in 1700 were lost in 2000 - wetland loss is now three times faster than forest loss.

Species, populations and varieties of plants and animals

• 8 million: Estimated total animal and plant species on Earth (including 5.5 million insect species)
• Tens to hundreds of times: the extent to which the current rate of global species extinction is greater than the average over the last 10 million years, and the rate is accelerating
• Up to 1 million: Threatened species, many within decades
• >500,000 (+/-9%): percentage of the estimated 5.9 million terrestrial species whose habitats are insufficient for long-term survival without habitat restoration
• >40%: endangered amphibian species
• Nearly 33%: reef-forming corals, sharks and shark relatives, and >33% of endangered marine mammals
• 25%: Average percentage of species at risk of extinction across terrestrial, freshwater, and marine vertebrate, invertebrate, and plant groups that have been studied in sufficient detail
• At least 680: Vertebrate species that have been driven to extinction by human activities since the 16th century
• +/-10%: Preliminary estimate of the percentage of endangered insect species
• >20%: decline in average abundance of native species in most major terrestrial biomes, mostly since 1900
  +/-560 (+/-10%): Domesticated mammal breeds became extinct in 2016, with at least 1,000 more at risk
• 3.5%: Domesticated bird breed extinct in 2016
• 70%: Increase in invasive alien species since 1970 in 21 countries with detailed data
• 30%: Reduction in the integrity of global terrestrial habitats due to habitat loss and deterioration
• 47%: share of non-flying land mammals and 23% of threatened birds whose distribution may already be adversely affected by climate change
• >6: species of ungulates (hoofed mammals) would likely become extinct or survive today only in captivity without conservation measures

Food and Agriculture

• 300%: increase in food production since 1970
• 23%: areas of land where there has been a decline in productivity due to land degradation
• > 75%: Global types of food crops that depend on animal pollination
• $235 to $577 billion: Annual value of global agricultural production at risk due to pollinator loss
• 5.6 gigatons: annual CO2 emissions sequestered in marine and land ecosystems - equivalent to 60% of global emissions from fossil fuels
• +/-11%: The world's population is undernourished
• 100 million: Expansion of agriculture in the tropics between 1980 and 2000, mainly livestock in Latin America (+/-42 million ha) and plantations in Southeast Asia (+/-7.5 million ha, of which 80% is oil palm) ), half of which at the expense of intact forests
• 3%: Increased farmland transformation in 1992-2015, mostly to the detriment of forests
• >33%: global land area (and +/- 75% of freshwater resources) devoted to crop or livestock production
• 12%: Global ice-free land used for agricultural production
• 25%: global ice-free land used for grazing (+/-70% dry land)
• +/-25%: GHG emissions from deforestation, agricultural production and fertilization, with food of animal origin contributing 75% of this value
• +/-30%: global agricultural production and global food supply provided by small farms (<2ha), using +/-25% agricultural land, generally maintaining rich agrobiotic biodiversity
• USD 100 billion: estimated level of financial support in OECD countries (2015) for potentially environmentally harmful agriculture

oceans and fishing

• 33%: marine fish stocks were caught at unsustainable levels in 2015; 60% are fished in the most sustainable way possible; 7% are underexploited
• >55%: Ocean area covered by commercial fishing
• 3-10%: Net primary ocean production projected to decline due to climate change alone by the end of the century
• 3-25%: predicted decrease in fish biomass by the end of the century under low and high warming scenarios, respectively
• >90%: share of global commercial fishermen engaged in artisanal fisheries (more than 30 million people) - representing nearly 50% of world fisheries
• Up to 33%: Estimated 2011 share of global catches of illegal, unreported, or unregulated fish
• >10%: Decade decline in seagrass coverage from 1970-2000
• +/-50%: Living corals on reefs lost since the 1870s
• 100-300 million: people in coastal areas are most at risk due to loss of coastal habitat protection
• 400: Coastal ecosystem "dead zones" with low oxygen content (hypoxia) caused by fertilizers affecting >245,000 km2
• 29%: average reduction in the risk of extinction of mammals and birds in 109 countries due to investments in conservation, 1996-2008; the risk of extinction of birds, mammals and amphibians would be at least 20% higher without conservation measures in the last decade
• >107: Highly endangered birds, mammals and reptiles estimated to have benefited from the eradication of invasive mammals on the islands

forests

• 45%: increase in wood raw material production since 1970 (4 billion cubic meters in 2017)
• +/-13 million: jobs in the forestry industry
• 50%: agricultural expansion at the expense of forests
• 50%: reduction in the net rate of forest loss since the 1990s (excluding forests managed for timber or agriculture)
• 68%: Today's global forest area compared to estimated pre-industrial levels
• 7%: reduction of undisturbed forest (>500 km2 without anthropopression) between 2000 and 2013 in developed and developing countries
• 290 million ha (+/-6%): native forest cover lost between 1990 and 2015 due to logging and logging
• 110 million ha: increase in planted forest area in 1990-2015
• 10-15%: global supply of wood from illegal forestry (up to 50% in some areas)
• >2 billion: people who rely on wood fuel for their basic energy needs

Mining and Energy

• <1%: all land used for mining, but the industry has significant negative impacts on biodiversity, emissions, water quality and human health
• +/-17,000: large mines (in 171 countries), primarily managed by 616 multinational corporations
• +/-6500: offshore oil and gas installations ((in 53 countries)
• USD 345 billion: global fossil fuel subsidies resulting in total costs of USD 5 trillion, including environmental degradation externalities; coal accounts for 52% of after-tax subsidies, oil +/-33% and natural gas +/-10%

Urbanization, development and socioeconomic problems

• >100%: urban growth since 1992
• 25 million km: Length of new paved roads by 2050, 90% of which will be built in developing and least developed countries
• +/- 50,000: number of large dams (>15 m high); +/-17 million tanks (>0.01 ha)
• 105%: increase in world population (from 3.7 to 7.6 billion) since 1970 unevenly across countries and regions
• 50 times higher: GDP per capita in developed countries vs. less developed
• >2500: Conflicts over fossil fuels, water, food and land now occur around the world
• >1000: Environmental activists and journalists killed between 2002-2013

Health

• 70%: Percentage of cancer drugs that are natural or synthetic products inspired by nature
• +/-4 billion: people relying primarily on natural medicines
• 17%: Infectious diseases transmitted by animal vectors, causing more than 700,000 deaths annually
• +/-821 million: People in Asia and Africa face food insecurity
• 40% of the world's population does not have access to clean and safe drinking water
• >80%: global wastewater discharged into the environment without treatment
• 300-400 million tonnes of heavy metals, solvents, toxic sludge and other waste from industrial plants dumped annually into the world's waters
• 10 times: increase in plastic pollution since 1980

Climate Change

• 1 degree Celsius: 2017 average global temperature difference from pre-industrial levels, increasing +/-0.2 (+/-0.1) degrees Celsius per decade
• >3 mm: global average annual sea level rise over the past two decades
• 16-21 cm: global mean sea level rise since 1900
• 100% increase in greenhouse gas emissions since 1980, increase in global average temperature by at least 0.7 degrees
• 40%: increase in tourism carbon footprint (up to 4.5 Gt CO2) between 2009 and 2013
• 8%: of total greenhouse gas emissions come from transport and food consumption related to tourism
• 5%: estimated proportion of species threatened with extinction by just 2°C warming, rising to 16% with 4.3°C warming
• Even with global warming of 1.5 to 2 degrees, most land species distribution areas are expected to shrink significantly.

global cells

• Majority: The 2020 Aichi Biodiversity Targets are unlikely to be missed
• 22 of 44: Assessed Sustainable Development Goals related to poverty, hunger, health, water, cities, climate, oceans and land are undermined by significant negative trends in nature and their impact on people
• 72%: Local indicators in the wild developed and used by indigenous peoples and local communities that show negative trends
• 4: Number of Aichi goals with significant progress on some items, moderate progress on some items in the next 7 goals, poor progress on all items in the 6 goals, and insufficient information to assess progress on some or all parts of the other 3 goals

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Comments from IPBES partners

“Nature makes human development possible, but our constant demand for Earth's resources is accelerating the rate of extinction and destroying the world's ecosystems. UN Environment is proud to support the Global Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, as it highlights the critical need to integrate biodiversity into global decision-making on any sector or challenge, be it water, agriculture , infrastructure or business.

-Joyce Msuya,Acting Chief, United Nations Environment

“In different cultures, people naturally value nature. The magic of watching fireflies glowing through the night is immense. We extract energy and nutrients from nature. In nature we find sources of food, medicine, sustenance and innovation. Our well-being essentially depends on nature. Our efforts to preserve biodiversity and ecosystems must be based on the best science humanity can produce. This is why the scientific evidence gathered in this IPBES Global Assessment is so important. This will help us build a stronger foundation to shape the post-2020 global biodiversity framework: 'A New Deal for Nature and People'; and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals”.

-Achim Steiner,United Nations Development Program Administrator

“This important report reminds each of us of a self-evident truth: current generations have a responsibility to hand over to future generations a planet that will not be irreversibly damaged by human activity. Our local, indigenous and scientific knowledge proves that we have solutions and no more excuses: we have to live differently on earth. UNESCO is committed to promoting respect for the living and their diversity, ecological solidarity with other living species, and establishing new equitable and global bonds of intergenerational partnership and solidarity for the preservation of humanity.

-Audrey Azoulay,Director General of UNESCO

“The IPBES Global Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services Report 2019 comes at a critical time for the planet and all its inhabitants. The report's findings - and the years of hard work by the many scientists who contributed - will provide a comprehensive picture of the current state of global biodiversity. Healthy biodiversity is the basic infrastructure that sustains all life on Earth, including human life. It also provides nature-based solutions to many of the most critical environmental, economic and social challenges we face as a society, including climate change, sustainability, health, and water and food security. We are currently preparing for the 2020 UN Biodiversity Conference in China, which will mark the closing of the Aichi Biodiversity Targets and set the course for an environment-oriented post-2020 sustainable development path that will bring many benefits to people, planet and our planet global economy. The IPBES report will serve as a key benchmark for where we are and where we need to go as a global community to inspire humanity to achieve the 2050 vision of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity of “Living in Harmony with Nature”. I want to thank and congratulate the IPBES community for their hard work, enormous contribution and continued partnership.”

-Cristiana Post Palmer, Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity

“The Global Assessment of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services adds an important piece to the body of evidence for the importance of biodiversity in efforts to achieve the Zero Hunger and Sustainable Development Goals. Collectively, the assessments by IPBES, FAO, CBD and others highlight the urgent need to take action to better protect and sustainably use biodiversity, and the importance of intersectoral and multidisciplinary collaboration between policymakers and other stakeholders across all levels.”

-José Graziano da Silva,Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

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