The Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services Network (BES-Net) is a capacity sharing “network of networks” initiative managed jointly by UNDP, UNEP’s World Conservation Monitoring Centre and UNESCO with the financial support of the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety and SwedBio at Stockholm Resilience Centre. It promotes dialogue between science, policy and practice for more effective management of biodiversity and ecosystems, contributing to long-term human well-being and sustainable development.

BES-Net complements and contributes to the capacity building work of the Intergovernmental Platform for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) by aligning its activities with the IPBES global assessment themes and applying the related IPBES guidance documents. In implementing its mandate, BES-Net follows an inclusive approach, collaborates with Multilateral Environmental Agreements, and draws on the support of other partner organizations.
The BES-Net initiative is carried out through four inter-linked activities: 

• Face-to-face capacity building support through Trialogues: Trialogues bring together BES-Net’s three target communities of science, policy and practice for face-to-face dialogues. Fostering mutual learning, inter-cultural understanding and inter-institutional coordination on specific policy-relevant questions at the national and regional levels, Trialogues strengthen the interface between these communities, and enhance national capacity to integrate scientific findings into policy, decision-making and on-the-ground practices.

• National Ecosystem Assessments (NEA): BES-Net supports the development of capacity in selected countries to conduct NEAs, complementing the global assessment being undertaken by IPBES. Leveraging the expertise of the Sub-Global Assessment Network (SGAN), the NEA process encompasses not only the production of national assessment reports but also the development of a set of policy support tools to integrate assessment findings into decision-making.

• Post Trialogue/NEA uptake support: BES-Net provides the target countries which have participated in the Regional Trialogue process and/or completed NEA with catalytic seed fund. The fund is to assist the country team’s efforts in implementing the key action points generated through the Regional Trialogue for the IPBES assessment uptake or the key NEA recommendations in policy, science and practice fields.  

• Online Platforms for networking: The BES-Net web portal offers a comprehensive knowledge resource library on biodiversity and ecosystems services, and a rich database of organizations and experts working on the IPBES thematic assessment areas. The latest news and updates from BES-Net and its network partners are circulated via social media channels and disseminated through bi-monthly e-newsletters.