New UN Body for Biodiversity and Ecosystems

A meeting in South Korea of representatives from 85 countries agreed on 11 June to the formation of an ‘Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services [IPBES]’. It is expected to be approved by the UN General Assembly later this year and will operate much like the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [IPCC].  The IPBES will periodically assess, at scales from global to sub-regional, biodiversity and ecosystem services to humankind such as: fresh water; fish, timber and a stable climate. It should also identify gaps in research and identify tools available to allow policy-makers to apply science to resource management decision-making.
Source: http://www.nature.com/news/2010/100616/full/465859a.html