Ali Saysel, task force expert, attends the Annual Meeting of the IPBES task force on scenarios and models
Professor Ali K. Saysel, from the UiB System Dynamics Group, took part in the Annual Meeting of the IPBES task force on scenarios and models. The meeting was held between 17th and 20th June 2024 in Hayama, Japan hosted by the technical support unit (TSU) located in the Institute of Global Environmental Strategies.
Main content
During the meeting, the task force discussed the role allocation for the implementation of the workplan for the IPBES intersessional period 2024-25. The task force workplan and its activities involve two crosscutting elements:
- Providing support on scenarios and models for IPBES assessments
- Promoting dialogue between IPBES and the community of practice on scenarios and models.
Many of these activities are centered around the further development of the methodological guidance for the Nature Futures Framework (NFF) and its dissemination.
Natures Futures Framework, a flexible tool to support the development of scenarios and models of desirable futures for people, nature and Mother Earth, which has been developed by the previous work group (2016-19) and the task force (2019-23) on scenarios and models through multiple visioning and scenario building workshops was approved as a “living document” by the IPBES plenary in 2023. The framework and its methodological guidance provide an approach for the development of nature-centric scenarios that addresses the diversity of human-nature relationships. It aims at filling a gap in building nature positive scenarios, incorporating diverse values of nature and different knowledge systems including indigenous and local knowledge (ILK).
During the intersessional period 2024-25, as part of its first group of tasks, the task force will contribute to the ongoing and forthcoming IPBES assessments through peer reviewing, nomination and mobilization of experts for various author roles, and by organization of an in-person workshops for further improvement of NFF. Among IPBES assessments, Business and Biodiversity assessment is going to be finalized by 2025. Soon, for the Second Global Assessment (2024-28), Monitoring Assessment (2024-26), and Spatial Planning and Ecological Connectivity Assessment (2025-28) there will be calls for expert nominations.
As part of its second group of tasks, the task force will mobilize the existing communities working on scenarios and models for future studies reflecting on and relevant to the work of IPBES, including the NFF. Activities as such include workshop organizations, collection of scenario examples at various scales and for different localities, engagement with the climate communities, and with various other stakeholders involving academics and policy makers.
Additionally, on the third day of the meeting, the task force had a field excursion to Kamakura and to agricultural fields, where people practice Satoyama, a Japanese practice of valuing and supporting nature. The task force also had a joint in-person meeting, on the fourth day, with the IPBES fellows, the young community of researchers supporting IPBES, to discuss and compare values of nature around the world in relevance to IPBES work.
“IPBES is doing a great work to build a huge community of experts, stewards and forerunners to mainstream biodiversity conservation in policy making and to encourage transformative change towards nature positive futures. We, the individual researchers and research groups should take this as an opportunity to increase the relevance and impact of our work.”
- Professor Ali Saysel, UiB
