Abstract:

Biodiversity and ecosystem services have laid important foundations for human livelihoods that impact quality of life. However, recent studies have shown a continuous decline globally, thereby reducing human interaction with nature. Multi-scale assessments can explain the current status of biodiversity at different scales which can help formulate decision-making recommendations for regional and national agencies. In December 2013, the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) adopted the first work programme and decided to undertake “regional/sub-regional assessment on biodiversity and ecosystem services” (regional assessment). Biodiversity and ecosystem services in the four geographic regions of Asia-Pacific, the Americas, Africa and Europe-Central Asia were assessed. The four regional assessment reports and their summary for policymakers were adopted at the 6th Session of the IPBES Plenary (held March 2018 in Medellin, Colombia). This paper summarizes the importance of biodiversity in each of the four geographic regions and the progress made in biodiversity conservation, the major crises and opportunities, and explores the impact of the assessment on other international processes. This research analyzes the characteristics of biodiversity and ecosystem services in each region and the differences between regions, along with a summary of the policy experience of the assessment to provide important scientific reference for China’s biodiversity conservation.

Key words: IPBES, regional, biodiversity, ecosystem services, assessment