The External Review of IPBES was commissioned during the 6th Plenary of IPBES held in Medellin, Colombia, from 17-24 March 2018, in order to examine the progress of IPBES since its launch in 2012.
The Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) was established to “strengthen the science-policy interface for biodiversity and ecosystem services for the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity, long-term human well-being and sustainable development”.
An international review panel was selected by the IPBES Bureau in June 2018, and a full list of members is provided below. The International Council for Science (now the International Science Council) was selected to coordinate the review following an open call for Expressions of Interests. The team coordinating the Review is led by Anne-Sophie Stevance, with support from external consultants Zenda Ofir and Melody Metz, and Nora Papp and Lizzie Sayer in the Council Secretariat.
The External Review will evaluate the effectiveness of IPBES as a science-policy interface around the four functions of the Platform:
- scientific assessments reviewing the state of knowledge on biodiversity and ecosystem services;
- policy support;
- building capacity and catalyzing new knowledge, and
- communications and outreach.
The review will be used as the basis for the development of the next work programme for IPBES, and will include lessons learned from the implementation of the first IPBES work programme (2014 – 2018). It will provide recommendations that can enable IPBES to strengthen implementation of its four functions and, ultimately, improve its effectiveness as a science-policy interface.
Members of the External Review Panel
| Name | Affiliation |
| Mr. Sélim Louafi | Senior Research Fellow, Department of Biological Systems, CIRAD, Montpellier, France |
| Mr. Ryo Kohsaka | Professor, Graduate School of Environmental Studies, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan |
| Mr. Peter Bridgewater (co-chair) | Adjunct Professor, Institute of Applied Ecology and Institute of Governance and Policy Analysis, University of Canberra, Canberra, Australia |
| Ms. Marina Rosales Benites (co-chair) | Universidad Nacional Federico Villarreal, Lima, Peru |
| Mr. Karen Jenderedijan | Consultant, Yerevan, Armenia |
| Ms. Kalpana Lalitkumar Chaudhari | Vice President, Institute for Sustainable Development and Research (ISDR), Mumbai, India |
| Mr. Kalemani Joseph Mulongoy | Co-founder and President, Institute for Enhanced Livelihoods Inc, Montreal, Canada |
| Mr. Douglas Beard | Acting Associate Director, Climate and Land Use Mission Area, United States Geological Survey, Reston, VA, United States of America |
| Mr. Albert S. van Jaarsveld | Vice-Chancelor, University of Kwa-Zulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa |
| Mr. Nicholas King | Independent consultant, Cape Town, South Africa |