The IPBES Fellows Workshop
GFAR PhD student Sacha Amaruzaman recently participated in the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) Fellows Workshop in Morocco.
The Workshop, held in Cadi Ayyad University in Marrakech, provided the opportunity for the Fellows from various IPBES assessments to interact, share their experiences, and build the global multidisciplinary networks in biodiversity and ecosystem services policy and research.
The participants consisted of the Fellows from several IPBES’s ongoing initiatives: Global Assessment of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, Assessment of the Multiple Values of Nature; Assessment of the Sustainable use of Biodiversity, and Development of Scenarios on Nature and its Contribution to People.
The aim of this workshop was to strengthen the capacities of IPBES’ fellows to contribute to the production and uptake of their assessments, improve the knowledge and understanding of the Fellows regarding the science-policy interface on biodiversity and ecosystem services; and strengthen the network of IPBES Fellows and Fellows alumni.
At the beginning of the workshop, Luthando Ziba, the co-chair of IPBES Expert Panel and chairman of National Park Networks of South Africa, explained about the position of IPBES in the global environmental governance. He provided insights about how the science-policy interface works in the global negotiations involving countries with different interests and shared his experience of working in a transdisciplinary science-policy environment.
Lynn Dicks from the University of East Anglia guided groups simulation to illustrate how science-policy interface works, based on her experience on using the various knowledge synthesis approach to guide the public-policy process.
The IPBES Technical Secretariat Unit (TSU) facilitated the remaining sessions, consisting of more insights about the previous and ongoing assessments and sharing lessons from the former IPBES Fellows. The TSU also presented the communication strategies to promote the research works and improve the uptake of IPBES assessments.
Sacha with the other Fellows of IPBES Values Assessment (photo: IPBES TSU capacity building)
IPBES (the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services) is an independent intergovernmental platform established in 2012. One of the mandates of IPBES is the capacity building, and the Fellows Workshop is a part of the capacity building activity for the early career researchers under the IPBES Fellowship programme. The Fellowship provides the opportunity to the Fellows to get a first-hand experience to be involved in the various IPBES’s assessments regarding nature, biodiversity, and ecosystem services.
Sacha is a Fellow in the IPBES Values Assessment, contributing to chapter 6 on the capacity development needs and operationalisation of the multiple values. His thesis is a part of Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) funded IndoGreen project, examining the natural resources management policies and farmers’ socio-psychological behaviour in the upland landscapes of Sumatra, Indonesia. He is an Awardee of the Australian Awards Scholarship from the Government of Australia.