EKLIPSE Draft Document of Work: request on EU post 2020 Biodiversity Strategy GENERAL INFORMATION Topic of the request: To significantly contribute to the development of the EU post 2020 Biodiversity Strategy and the success of its implementation by, inter alia, ensuring the policy relevance of the ALTER-Net conference sessions and maximise uptake of its outputs. Requester ALTER-Net and DG ENV. Date request received: 2018 Date of first meeting with requesters: November 2018 Expected deadline for deliverables: ALTER-Net conference in Ghent 17-19 th June 2019. EKLIPSE KCB Focal Point for the request: EKLIPSE Deputy for the request: EKLIPSE Secretariat contact point for the request:
CONTEXT AND SPECIFICATION OF THE REQUEST Background of the request The current EU Biodiversity Strategy to 2020 will soon come to an end. The European Commission will then need to adopt a more bold strategy to halt the loss of biodiversity and improve the state of Europe s species, habitats, Ecosystems and the services they provide, while stepping up the EU s contribution to averting global biodiversity loss (EU Commission, 2011). In 2015, the European Commission s Special Eurobarometer on Attitudes of European towards Biodiversity indicated that more than 80% of European citizens consider the various effects of biodiversity loss to be serious. More than 50% think they will be personally affected by biodiversity loss. However, the mid-term review of the EU Biodiversity Strategy to 2020 by the EEA describes poor progress made in implementing the actions and achieving the six targets set out in the strategy. The report demonstrates that although actions on the ground, supported by adequate financing, can protect and restore nature and the benefits it provides, on a European scale we are unequivocally falling short on all but one of the targets. The IPBES assessments on the state of biodiversity and ecosystems in the European region, published this year, confirms the dire state of biodiversity and ecosystems in the EU, as well as the consequences for the economy and society. After the failure to meet the 2010 target and now the negative prognostics to meet the 2020 target, the European Commission, the research community and society cannot afford another failure of the EU s commitment to halt biodiversity loss. Lessons must be taken from previous failures. ALTER-Net and EKLIPSE see in the development of the EU post 2020 Biodiversity Strategy a unique opportunity to join forces and take advantage of their individual strengths to make a difference for biodiversity in Europe by engaging scientists, policy makers and society to 1) stimulate both the European Commission and the research community toward a robust and effective post-2020 EU Biodiversity Strategy and 2) Develop an engagement strategy to create awareness and ownership from science, policy and society to implement it. With this, ALTER-Net and EKLIPSE wish to significantly contribute to the development of the EU post 2020 Biodiversity Strategy and the success of its implementation. To maximize this input a series of events and activities are planned (see also Fig 1): - Horizon Scanning workshop in Peyresq in September 2018 to set up a framework and timeline to contribute to the EU post 2020 Biodiversity Strategy - Join forces with other groups and initiatives working on the EU post 2020 Biodiversity Strategy - A joint paper calling for building a strong movement to participate in the development of the EU post 2020 Biodiversity Strategy (Task Force Movement ) - A collection of key messages on thematic input from the scientific community (Task force Scientific contribution ) - A societal engagement exercise (Task force Society ) - An International ALTER-Net, EKLIPSE & friends conference in Ghent (17 19 June, 2019), presenting preliminary results and setting up jointly the next steps - A paper collecting results of the movement and of the participatory approaches (scientific and societal inputs) - A task force Policy dedicated to ensuring the policy relevance of all activities and during the whole process. - A task force to overlook the whole process (Task Force Process Overview )
What is the policy context of the request? Both at the EU and global scale, a new/revised biodiversity strategy and framework will be developed and adopted in 2020/2021. What are the objectives of the request? The main objective is to make a difference for biodiversity in Europe by engaging scientists, policy makers and society by significantly contributing to the development of the EU post 2020 Biodiversity Strategy and the success of its implementation. Specific objectives will include to raise awareness on the issue, to increase the inter and transdisciplinarity of the activities, including the conference, and to increase the policy relevance and uptake of the outputs of the different activities, particularly in relation to the conference. Specific tasks for EKLIPSE The main task would be to ensure the policy relevance and success of the different activities, including structuring the organisation of the conference sessions and aligning its outputs with regard to the conference s aim, i.e. to significantly contribute to the development of the EU post 2020 Biodiversity Strategy and the success of its implementation. Regarding the conference, we will use the EKLIPSE approach to ensure 1) the policy relevance of the conference sessions, 2) the participation of the most relevant knowledge-holders, policy-makers and other stakeholders in those sessions and 3) that the concerns of diverse knowledge holders and in society are put forward at the conference. Instead of having a scientific committee coming up with topics of sessions and then trying to raise interest from the policy side on those sessions, EKLIPSE would work with ALTER-Net to start from the policy demand to create those sessions, ensuring policy relevance at the root of each session. To ensure that knowledge holders on the topic of the conference are also actively involved, some sessions will be organised by researchers to share the latest advances and concerns from the ALTER- Net research community. It would also be ideal if the societal engagement exercise could lead to the organisation of a specific session or small side event. The scientific committee will ensure that some sessions are not put in parallel to ensure maximum participation and outcomes. The first step will be to write an EKLIPSE Call for Request dedicated to EU post 2020 Biodiversity Strategy and with it to approach decision makers linked to and interested in the process of the development of the EU post 2020 Biodiversity Strategy (DGs, CBD secretariat, government representatives, local/regional authorities, and other relevant stakeholders). We would take this opportunity to ask them what questions are raised by EU policy-makers and others concerning biodiversity and ecosystem services beyond 2020 their needs, obstacles, problems they have in the process of developing the post 2020 Biodiversity strategy (when answering the call for request). At the policy level, the Call would target not only those directly involved (Environment) but also other disciplines that are potentially involved in implementing and realising the Strategy (Research, Agriculture, Energy, Marine, Trade, Social sciences, etc.). ALTER-Net and EKLIPSE will work on a set of potential questions/topics representing important examples of concerns from the scientific community and which could guide the decision makers in their reflection while preparing their questions to EKLIPSE (a preliminary list of 4 topics are in Annex 1). The selected requests would be translated by EKLIPSE to "questions" which will become the topics of sessions. A committee will organise each session (composed of selected experts on the session topic the need for a launch of an EKLIPSE Call for Experts should be discussed) to set the session and the
call for papers. The overall scientific committee, already in place for the organisation of the conference will oversee the session scientific committees to ensure the coherence and vision of the conference. The EKLIPSE approach would also help set a series of consultative processes leading to the conference and reaching out to society and biodiversity community to ensure to create a sense of common responsibility and ownership from science, policy and society to implement the Biodiversity Strategy. A detailed allocation of tasks between EKLIPSE and ALTER-Net will be done as soon as possible to ensure understanding and effectiveness of the collaboration. What is the spatial scale of the request? The request is primarily at EU level as the focus is about effectively contributing to the development of the EU post 2020 Biodiversity Strategy. However, the EKLIPSE approach of organising the conference could be an inspiration for other conferences at different scales. What is the level of controversy? What sources of knowledge should be included? - Scientific knowledge - Indigenous and local knowledge - Technical know-how - Social Sciences - Economics - Policy - Opinions and values What types of knowledge synthesis and information are useful or acceptable? Facilitation techniques and methodologies What methods or approach could be envisaged? The EKLIPSE approach, see above under Specific tasks for EKLIPSE Expected outputs Workshop sessions Outreach activities
Which sectors and societal groups will be affected by or will benefit from the request and how? Biodiversity policy makers, NGOs such as IUCN and WWF, societal groups concerned with biodiversity and ecosystem services, sharing the goal of a more effective and efficient EU biodiversity strategy, IPBS, EC, CBD, SDGs, cities. The diverse societal actors and stakeholders will be mapped in a table to ensure a strategic approach for engaging different groups. Additionally the EKLIPSE Network of Networks will be approached to provide an opportunity for European wide networks to participate in the processes of giving input. Timeframe of the request by when would results be needed? First step will be to reach out to relevant decision makers in December 2018 to ask for their needs. January 2019: decision upon questions/needs which would be translated into session topics. Call for movement (including the whole science field and societal actors?) and call for experts February to mid-march 2019: set up of EWG / scientific committees for each session and call for papers Mid-March to conference: Work of the EWG / Scientific committee to organize each session June 17-19 th 2019: ALTER-Net and EKLIPSE conference SCOPING OF THE REQUEST References: European Commission (2011). Our life insurance, Our Natural Capital: An EU Biodiversity Strategy to 2020. European Commission, Brussels (2011)
Annexes Annex 1: Questions to be included in the Call for Requests Here are the 4 questions/themes for sessions proposed by Martin (please note those are derived from the 6 ones proposed during the call and updated after the call): All the following 4 sessions would be designed to attract scientists from a wide range of disciplines, and should involve policy makers from the design stage: 1. Envisaging plausible futures The climate is rapidly changing towards an unknown new regime, bringing with it extreme events, changed weather patterns on land and, in the oceans, vastly different conditions of acidity, salinity, temperature and current. To help to plan long-term biodiversity policy and research strategy, it would be useful to have some shared ideas of possible futures. What small set of scenarios might be helpful to envisage plausible futures? 2. Probable changes in nature Socially and ecologically significant timescales post 2020 range from the short term (measured in decades), through the medium (centuries), to the long (millennial) term. Important changes are bound to occur everywhere on Earth, in all biomes (ocean, fresh water, forest, agriculture...). Changed biodiversity will itself create new conditions. What might we expect, either immediately (e.g. phenology, migration), or by adaptation (range shifts, genetics) or failure (local extinction or global extirpation)? 3. New relationships Rapid climate change is not the only major driver of biological and societal response. The human population and its consumptive economies will continue to grow, changing land cover, land use, water availability and nutrient supply, facilitating the spread of species, disrupting and disturbing biodiversity, and shifting energy supply away from fossil fuels. How will these drivers change the relationship between humans and the rest of nature? 4. Preparing for change What kind of EU-scale policy responses might be envisaged in these future scenarios, and how might existing scientific knowledge contribute? What are the important knowledge gaps in scientific understanding that must be filled in the next decade?