Bayreuth GCE students at the IPBES-10th Plenum

Students of the Master's programme "Global Change Ecology" participated in the 10th plenary session of the World Biodiversity Council (IPBES) in Bonn last week. This UN body meets annually with the aim of strengthening the link between policy and science and enabling good science to inform decisions to conserve biodiversity and ecosystem services.

Biodiversity is a particularly important issue because humans depend on it for almost all aspects. Healthy, diverse ecosystems are the basis for food production, climate regulation or water purification, for example. Every year, IPBES publishes a report on the current state of research.

This year's report deals with invasive species. These are species that are new to an area, spread rapidly and have a negative impact on nature and humans. Based on this report, a recommendation for policy and other decision makers was drafted last week and agreed by all 143 member states. This lengthy process took every day of the week, often late into the night. The mood was correspondingly good when this recommendation, the "Summary for Policy Makers", was adopted on Saturday.

15 students from the elite Global Change Ecology programme had a great opportunity to network with scientists, politicians and NGOs in the field of biodiversity at the IPBES plenary in Bonn. They gained valuable insights behind the scenes at the UN and a unique chance to follow the negotiations in person.

A special networking opportunity was offered at the start of the negotiations, as the students were invited to the reception hosted by the USA, the official host. They had the opportunity to meet delegates, experts, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and other students from around the world in person, discuss scientific topics and explore perspectives for their future careers.

After this challenging and exciting week, the students return home exhausted but with many new impressions and contacts. "It's an incredible feeling when so many countries agree and stand up for more biodiversity at the end of the week," says Jasmin Basilowski, student GCE 2022.

The publication "Summary for Policymakers - Invasive Alien Species Assessment" can be read at the following link: https://www.ipbes.net/IASmediarelease