| U.N. Honours Biodiversity with Independent Scientific Body | 18 June 10 |
 More than 230 delegates from 85 nations backed establishment of a new international body to mitigate destruction of the world's flora and fauna at a five-day U.N. meeting in Busan, South Korea, June 2010. This year is the International Year for Biodiversity.The U.N. Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, published in 2005, concluded human activities threatened the Earth's ability to sustain future generations. "The dream of many scientists in both developed and developing countries has been made a reality," said Achim Steiner, executive director of the U.N. Environment Programme (UNEP). The Intergovernmental Science Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) will be modeled on the International Panel on Climate Change. The new body aims to carry out high quality peer reviews of science on biodiversity and ecosystem services emerging from research institutes across the globe. Plans to formally set up the IPBES require approval of the UN General Assembly, and will be presented to environment ministers for endorsement at UNEP's global ministerial meeting February 2011. View June 11, 2010 International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development articleView June 14, 2010 BBC News article View June 11, 2010 UNEP press release View June 16, 2010 David Suzuki article Source: International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development, BBC News, UNEP |
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