Second Workshop on Scenarios and Modelling for IPBES assessments

Nadia Sitas attended the Second Workshop on Scenarios and Modelling for IPBES assessments, Shonan Village, Japan 15-17th November 2016. This was an exciting opportunity organised by the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES) and the IPBES TSU Scenarios and Modelling to bring together authors and experts from all corners of the globe involved in the scenarios and modelling chapters of the regional and global IPBES assessments, as well as the thematic assessment on Land Degradation and Restoration. The aim of the workshop was to strengthen co-operation between the authors and discuss how the different assessments can feed into each other as well as share the current status and key findings of the first order drafts of the assessment chapters and discuss similarities and differences between those.

It was an intense 3 days with a lot of discussion on how best to communicate the results of the assessment to have maximum policy impact and how to include diverse knowledge and values into the assessment processes. Authors from the Africa Region Assessment met to ensure that the assessment aligns and addresses important policy processes e.g. Sustainable Development Goals, the Aichi targets, and importantly The African Union’s Agenda 2063 which lies at the heart of the vision for a future integrated Africa that is prosperous and at peace with itself. We made great progress and the Africa Regional assessment is going to be a phenomenal resource for researchers, practitioners and policy makers alike.

On the last day we visited a Japanese rural landscape (Satoyama) hosted by the Non-profit organisation Shijuhasse-gawa Nature Village. Here we picked and grilled our own shitake mushrooms from a community based mushroom farm, made our own mochi (pounded rice) with red bean paste which was served with preserved cherry blossom tea which was harvested the previous spring. We also learned about how the NPOs conservation efforts have resulted in the water from the catchment being awarded the number one tasting water in Japan- just one tangible example of the benefits we get from conserving ecosystems!