Thematic Areas
Use this one-stop-shop for online learning and networking on a variety of biodiversity and ecosystem services themes. Browse and share information, connect with experts, commission policy briefs and access knowledge that helps answer your specific questions.
Policy Support
Access the latest information on policy support tools and methodologies, not only to learn about the different elements of policymaking and implementation, but also to assess the potential usefulness of these resources in specific contexts.
Networking
Connect with scientists, knowledge holders, policymakers and practitioners and join a global conversation on capacity building in the arena of biodiversity and ecosystem services – start an online discussion with new contacts, poll and survey experts, and much more.
Matchmaking
BES-Net will be involved in capacity building matchmaking activities, based on the needs of its Partners. You can now look for vacancies in the field of biodiversity and ecosystem services.
Events
Search or browse upcoming events relating to biodiversity and ecosystem services, ranging from trainings to national science-policy-practice dialogues and international meetings.
Register
Take advantage of all of the interactive features on BES-Net by becoming a registered user. In addition to accessing resources on biodiversity and ecosystem services, you will receive electronic newsletters and can engage with policymakers, scientists/knowledge holders and practitioners in an open dialogue.
Latest
| Title | Organization | Location | Deadline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Programme Management Officer, | UNEP | Bonn Germany | 08/20/2018 |
| Research Intern, Green Bonds and Finance | U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) | Dist. Columbia, United States | 08/31/2018 |
| Director of the SwedBio Programme | SwedBio | Stockholm University | 08/31/2018 |
The 22nd meeting of the Convention’s Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA-22) and the second meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Implementation (SBI-2), which were held from 2 to 13 July 2018 in Montreal, Canada, represented the last preparatory processes before the UN Biodiversity Conference 2018[1] being held in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt this November.
The meetings resulted in recommendations to accelerate and scale up actions needed to achieve existing global biodiversity targets by 2020 (the Aichi Biodiversity Targets). During SBSTTA-22, delegates discussed pollinators and pollination[2] and they welcomed the draft global Plan of Action 2018-2030 for the conservation and sustainable use of pollinators and recommended that COP 14 adopt it. In the new Plan of Action, governments urged the engagement of businesses, indigenous peoples and local communities, and other relevant actors, involved in production landscapes, to address the drivers of loss of wild and managed pollinators in all ecosystems.
SBBSTA also considered the role of pollinators beyond agriculture and food production. The draft full report on the relevance of pollinators and pollination to the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity in all ecosystems beyond their role in agriculture and food production[3] will be posted for peer review comments, and it will be available for the fourteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties.
[1] Fourteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, 17 - 29 November 2018 Egypt; Ninth meeting of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, 17 - 29 November 2018; Third meeting of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit-sharing, 17-29 November 2018; and the High-Level Segment of the fourteenth meeting of Conference of the Parties and concurrent meetings of the Cartagena and Nagoya Protocols, 14-15 November 2018.
[2] Recommendation SBSTTA-22/9 Conservation and sustainable use of pollinators - https://www.cbd.int/doc/recommendations/sbstta-22/sbstta-22-rec-10-en.pdf
[3] CBD/SBSTTA/22/INF/21 - https://www.cbd.int/doc/c/3bf6/6dd2/f2282b216e6ae4bd24943d44/sbstta-22-inf-21-en.pdf
26 July 2018,
Amman
“The Arab region is full of potential. Over the past decades, the region has seen significant economic and social progress. Climate risks threaten to derail these development gains. This could disrupt efforts to build peace, cause a spike in ‘eco-migrants,’ and undermine efforts to end hunger, poverty and inequality by 2030,” said Adriana Dinu, Director, Global Environmental Finance, UNDP.
The region is home to rising levels of conflict and the world’s largest population of refugees and displaced people, according to the report. Simultaneously, it is now the planet’s most water-scarce and food-import-dependent region, and the only region where malnutrition rates have been rising. “The Arab region was the birthplace of agricultural civilization and for thousands of years has been able to cope with risks from climatic hazards. But climate change is now happening at a pace unlike anything before, stretching the ability of societies to cope,” said Mourad Wahba, Assistant Administrator and Director of the UNDP Regional Bureau for the Arab States. “Over the past decade, the region has witnessed cycles of drought, the frequency and severity of which are beyond anything seen for hundreds of years in the region. This has contributed to situations of famine and food insecurity, loss of livelihoods and life, and the displacement of millions.” The impacts of climate change are exacerbating the existing challenges of sustainably managing limited natural resources across the Arab Region. Climate change-related desertification has expanded, greatly increasing the vulnerability of the local population. The region’s environment is highly vulnerable to rising temperatures, sea-level rise, and increased risks of floods and droughts, according to the report. Current climate change projections show that by the year 2025, the water supply in the Arab region will be only 15percent of levels in 1960. With population growth around 3 per cent annually and deforestation spiking to 4 per cent annually to produce charcoal and fuel the Gum Arabic trade, the region now includes 14 of the world’s 20 most water-stressed countries. In fragile countries such as Somalia, illegal armed groups such as Al-Shabaab have increasingly attracted young people who are affected by drought-induced food insecurity and who have limited job prospects, according to the report findings. UNDP supports countries in the four sub-regions of the Arab region (Mashreq, Maghreb, Arab Gulf and the Horn of Africa) to adapt to climate change impacts and to prepare for disaster risks. Climate change adaptation projects in the region support improved natural resource management practices, diversified incomes, policy support, and ecosystem-based adaptation approaches designed to improve productivity for farmers and pastoralists. “UNDP works closely with our national partners to build the resilience of institutions and communities to anticipate, absorb and adapt to increasingly complex risks from climate change. UNDP has rapidly expanded its support in recent years in this regard, through a strong partnership with the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the Green Climate Fund (GCF), the Least Developed Countries Fund (LDCF), the Special Climate Change Fund (SCCF) and key bilateral donors. As we empower countries and communities, UNDP promotes integrated solutions to achieve SDG 13 on climate action and the Paris Agreement, while bringing co-benefits for SDGs on food and water security, health, gender equality, combating land degradation and reducing the loss of biodiversity,” said Mahba. “To address the myriad challenges that climate change is bringing to the Arab States, we need to be innovative, we need to be bold, and we need to support the people in building the enabling environments they need to thrive in our fast-changing world,” Dinu said.
Links
Report: Climate Change Adaptation in the Arab States
Executive Summary
UNDP in the Arab States
UNDP Climate Change Adaptation
UNDP partners with people at all levels of society to help build nations that can withstand crisis, and drive and sustain the kind of growth that improves the quality of life for everyone. On the ground in more than 170 countries and territories, we offer a global perspective and local insight to help empower lives and build resilient nations
In the margin of the second meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Implementation (SBI-2) of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the UN Environment World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC) organized a side event entitled “The role of National Ecosystem Assessments (NEAs) in the post-2020 agenda: opportunities for policy impact” on 12 July 2018 in Montreal, Canada.
The event showcased the practical examples of the NEA works undertaken within BES-Net framework in four countries thus far, namely Cameroon, Colombia, Ethiopia and Viet Nam, and the anticipated impact the project will have at both the national and global level. An active panel discussion was also held on the role of NEAs in the post-2020 biodiversity agenda setting and national decision-making processes. Read more >
| Date | Event | Location | Organizer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 29 August 2018 | LANDSCAPE RESTORATION IN AFRICA: PROSPECTS AND OPPORTUNITIES | Nairobi, Kenya | GLF |
| 4 September 2018 | Caribbean Regional Trialogue on Pollinators, Food Security and Climate Resilience | Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic | UNDP & Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources in Dominican Republic |
| 17 September 2018 | African Ministerial Conference on the Environment | Nairobi, Kenya | UN Environment |