Post on 01-Apr-2015
Millennium Ecosystem Assessment - Overview
EEA-NRC meeting - September 2008
Ivone Pereira Martins
EIONET NRC Nature Biodiversity 20082
Call for Action
CBD COP8 Decision VIII/9 / 2006Revised implications of MA findings and called for follow up actions by parties using MA methodologies and conceptual framework
SBSTTA 12 Rec XII/3 / 2007Called for the preparation of a coherent international multiagency strategy for the MA follow up
CBD COP 9 / 2008Acknowledge the global strategy for MA follow up and asked parties to contribute to its implementation by
• Promoting and supporting SGA based on the MA conceptual framework• Consider MA approaches when developing national biodiversity and
development and cooperation approaches
EIONET NRC Nature Biodiversity 20083
Human demand for ecosystem services is quickly growing around the world
Water
One-third of the world’s population is now subject to water scarcity.
Population facing water scarcity will double over the next 30 years
Food
Food production must increase to meet the needs of an additional 3 billion people over the next 30 years
Timber
Wood fuel is the only source of fuel for one third of the world’s population.
Wood demand will double in next 50 years.
EIONET NRC Nature Biodiversity 20084
The capacity of many ecosystems to provide certain services has been declining
Excellent
Good
Fair
Poor
Bad
Not Assessed
Agro-ec
osyste
m
Coastal
System
s
Forest S
ystem
s
Freshwate
r
Grassla
nds
Food-Fiber Production
Water Quality
Water Quantity
Biodiversity
Carbon StorageIncreasing
Decreasing
Mixed
Condition of Ecosystem
ChangingCapacity
KeyEcosystem Type
Services
EIONET NRC Nature Biodiversity 20085
Despite knowledge of the increasing demand and diminishing or endangered supply, science and policy
has not tackled effectively these challenges…
Existing mechanisms for linking science and policy are highly sectoral whereas the major problems today are increasingly multisectoral.
• Such mechanisms include: Forest Resource Assessment, World Water Assessment, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, etc.
Significant issues identified by scientists are not on policy agendas.
• E.g., Change in nitrogen and phosphorous cycles receives little attention outside of scientific literature
New data sources, methodologies and models are underutilized in many countries.
• E.g., Remote sensing tools and data; Scenarios development
EIONET NRC Nature Biodiversity 20086
The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment is:
An international scientific assessment completed in 2005• Designed to meet assessment needs of
1. Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD),
2. Convention to Combat Desertification (CCD),
3. Ramsar Wetlands Convention,
4. other partners including the private sector and civil society
• Focused on the consequences of changes in ecosystems for human well-being
• Undertaken at multiple scales (local to global)
• Designed to both provide information and build capacity to provide information
• Expected to be repeated at 5-10 year intervals if it successfully meets needs
EIONET NRC Nature Biodiversity 20087
The MA focuses on:
• Ecosystem services
• The consequences of changes in ecosystems for human well being
• The consequences of changes in ecosystems for other life on earth
EIONET NRC Nature Biodiversity 20088
Ecosystem Services are the benefits people obtain
from ecosystems
RegulatingBenefits obtained from regulation of
ecosystem processes
• climate regulation• disease regulation
• flood regulation
• detoxification
ProvisioningGoods produced or
provided by ecosystems
• food • fresh water• fuel wood
• fiber• biochemicals
• genetic resources
CulturalNon-material benefits
obtained from ecosystems
• spiritual • recreational
• aesthetic• inspirational• educational • communal• symbolic
SupportingServices necessary for production of other ecosystem services
• Soil formation• Nutrient cycling
• Primary production
EIONET NRC Nature Biodiversity 20089
The MA is an Integrated Assessment Integrates the effects of multiple drivers on all ecosystems
IPCC looks at impacts of one driver (climate) on different systems;
Driver
Response
HumanImpact
Ecosystems
Health Economics Social
ClimateChange
Land CoverChange
BiodiversityLoss
NutrientLoading Etc.
Millennium AssessmentIPCC
Climate Change
Energy Sector Biodiversity Food
Supply Water
Health Economics Social
EIONET NRC Nature Biodiversity 200810
The MA design reflects a full spectrum of stakeholder groups
Private sectorPrivate sector
• MA developed a close relationship with the World Business Council on Sustainable Development
• Individual companies were represented by Board members
• MA findings were considered relevant to intermediaries such as credit agencies, institutional investors, and trade organizations
Media and PublicMedia and Public
National and sub-national governments
National and sub-national governments
• ~180 governments have endorsed the MA through their participation in international conventions
• Administrative authorities are also engaged as users at other levels
International organizationsInternational organizations
• The MA was featured as a key action in the UN Secretary-General’s “Millennium Report”, April 2000
• The MA was launched by Kofi Annan, June 2001
• 13 international institutions were directly represented on the MA Board
Local communities and civil society
Local communities and civil society
• Traditional knowledge of indigenous groups was incorporated in the MA
• MA has been designed to meet some assessment needs of indigenous and local communities
• MA will provide information to various news outlets, journals, etc.
• Findings may become part of a public information campaign on ecosystems
EIONET NRC Nature Biodiversity 200811
EIONET NRC Nature Biodiversity 200812
The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MA)
First MA Product,
publishedSeptember
2003
Other reports atwww.maweb.org
EIONET NRC Nature Biodiversity 200813
Conceptual Framework Report: “Ecosystems and Human Well-Being”
Purpose:
To provide a unified approach, rationale, and terminology for the assessmentTo inform MA users as well as the scientific community of the nature of the product and its foundationTo provide information to those interested in applying elements of the MA in other assessment activities
EIONET NRC Nature Biodiversity 200814
Conceptual Framework
EIONET NRC Nature Biodiversity 200815
Using the Conceptual Framework as a guide, MA answered core questions
Given plausible changes in primary drivers, what will be the consequences for ecosystems, their services, and human well-being?
What can we do about it?
All of the above… at global and sub-global scales
What is the current condition and historical trends of ecosystems and their services?What have been the consequences of changes in ecosystems for human well-being?
EIONET NRC Nature Biodiversity 200816
MA as a Multiple Scales Assessment
Regional
UsersRegional Development Banks, etc.
NationalGovernment
Local Community
Global Assessment
National
Local
• Permit social and ecological processes to be assessed at their characteristic scale
• Allow greater spatial, temporal, causal detail to be considered as scale becomes finer
• Allow independent validation of larger-scale conclusions
• Permit reporting and response options matched to the scale where decision-making takes place
EIONET NRC Nature Biodiversity 200817
Capacity Building
A Central Objective of the MA, capacity building was expected to occur through multiple outlets:
• Access to Data/Information • Sub-Global Assessments• Training Materials• Scenarios and Modeling• Partnerships
EIONET NRC Nature Biodiversity 200818
Reflections on the MA
Limited impact on policy formulation and decision makingNeed to fill knowledge gaps at all levels and economic valuations on ecosystems servicesNeed to develop working models to analyse ecosystems services and their trade offsNeed to further raise awarenessLimited funds for many of the SGA
EIONET NRC Nature Biodiversity 200819
Global MA Follow up Strategy
Knowledge baseKnowledge gaps, data collection, use and exchange, tools and methodologies, web based learning platform, SGAs
Policy implementationDecision support tools and methodologies, build capacity, financial incentives, good practice guidance
Outreach and Dissemination Design outreach strategy, awareness raising within the UN family, disseminate communication material, training of journalists
Future assessmentsWG on collaborative mechanisms, WG to develop proposals for scope and process for a second global assessment
EIONET NRC Nature Biodiversity 200820
IPBES
CBD COP 9 noted the need to strengthen SBSTTA and other subsidiary bodies and welcomed an ”ad/hoc open/ended, intergovernmental and multi stakeholder meeting to consider establishing an international science/policy interface on biodiversity, ecosystem services and human wellbeing”Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystems Services to improve the science policy interface, a platform to support biodiversity and ecosystems MEAs