The Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services Science-Policy Interface

C.Perrings asked what the policy-oriented charges in the Busan outcome imply for the science of the assessment process (Science).

"For IPBES to provide the policy support envisaged in the Busan outcome, it needs to answer questions that are meaningful to the nations that have brought it into being. This requires an approach that differs from those adopted in previous assessments—in the functions and membership of the plenary, in assessment methodology, and in decision support. The IPBES plenary should specify the policy options to be evaluated; assessment should include quantitative conditional prediction of the consequences of those options; and reports should enable policy-makers to evaluate the relative merits of mitigation, adaptation, and stabilization strategies. This requires a much higher level of commitment to capacity-building and to engagement with the policy community. The establishment of IPBES offers a unique opportunity to build on what has been done already. It should not be wasted. "