Nexus assessment

Thematic assessment of the interlinkages among biodiversity, water, food and health

The IPBES Plenary, at IPBES 7 (April/May 2019, Paris), adopted a new work programme (2019-2030; available here), following up on the first IPBES work programme 2014-2018.

This new work programme includes a thematic assessment of the interlinkages among biodiversity, water, food and health (nexus assessment), which will examine the interlinkages among the sustainable development goals related to food and water security, health for all, protecting biodiversity on land and in the oceans and combating climate change.

The IPBES Plenary, at IPBES 8 (June 2021) approved the undertaking of the nexus assessment as outlined in the “Scoping report for a thematic assessment of the interlinkages among biodiversity, water, food, and health” set out in annex I to its decision IPBES-8/1 (consolidated version available here). The assessment will be considered by the Plenary at its eleventh session.

The first external review of the first draft of the chapters was held from 9 January-19 February 2023. Dialogues with stakeholders, including practitioners, were held during the first external review. The second Indigenous and local knowledge (ILK) dialogue was held from 17-19 January 2023 in Chiang Mai, Thailand. The second author meeting was held 20-24 March 2023 in Kruger National Park, Skukuza, South Africa, followed by the first meeting to advance the summary for policymakers. The second meeting to advance the summary for policymakers was held from 4-6 July 2023 in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) Campus Alpin.

The second external review, which included a review of the second draft of the chapters and the first draft of the summary for policymakers, was held from 20 November  2023 - 21 January 2024. During the second external review, the third and final ILK dialogue was held from 28-30 November 2023 in Montreal, Canada. A dialogue with IPBES national focal points (Government dialogue), was held in person on 6 December 2023 during the IPBES dialogue meeting with national focal points from 5-7 December 2023 in Bergen, Norway. Dialogues with stakeholders, including practitioners, were held online on 18 December 2023.

The third and final author meeting was held from 5-9 February 2024 in Lalitpur, Nepal at the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), followed by the third meeting to advance the summary for policymakers. The fourth and final meeting to advance the summary for policymakers was held from 16-19 April 2024 in Santa Barbara, California, USA at the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (NCEAS).