The IPBES Bureau and Multidisciplinary Expert Panel, in the context of the extraordinary situation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, and considering the role that IPBES can play in strengthening the knowledge base on biodiversity, decided that IPBES would organize a “Platform workshop” on biodiversity and pandemics, in accordance with the procedures for the preparation of IPBES deliverables, in particular decision IPBES-3/3, annex I, section 6.1. on the organization of Platform workshops. This workshop provided an opportunity to review the scientific evidence on the origin, emergence, and impact of COVID-19 and other pandemics, as well as on options for controlling and preventing pandemics, with the goal to provide immediate information, as well as enhance the information IPBES can provide to its users and stakeholders in its ongoing and future assessments.
The workshop brought together 22 experts from all regions of the world, to discuss 1) how pandemics emerge from the microbial diversity found in nature; 2) the role of land-use change and climate change in driving pandemics; 3) the role of wildlife trade in driving pandemics; 4) learning from nature to better control pandemics, and 5) preventing pandemics based on a “one health” approach. The workshop participants selected by the IPBES Multidisciplinary Expert Panel included 17 experts nominated by Governments and organizations following a call for nominations and 5 experts from the ongoing IPBES assessment of the sustainable use of wild species, the assessment on values, and the assessment of invasive alien species, as well as experts assisting with the scoping of the IPBES nexus assessment and transformative change assessments. In addition, resource persons from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the Secretariat of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) and the World Health Organization (WHO) attended the workshop. This workshop report has been prepared by all workshop participants and has been subjected to several rounds of internal review and revisions and one external peer review process. Technical support to the workshop has been provided by the IPBES secretariat. IPBES thanks the Government of Germany for the provision of financial support for the organization of the workshop and production of the report.