Last week, the IPBES Plenary took place in Manchester, bringing together governments, scientists, businesses, and civil society from around the world to discuss how knowledge on biodiversity and ecosystems can better inform decision-making. IPBES - the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services - plays a role similar to the IPCC for climate, synthesizing evidence to support policy responses to biodiversity loss.
Stakeholder Day, which took place on the opening day of the event, focused this year on business and biodiversity, creating space for dialogue between companies, researchers, NGOs, and other non-state actors who are increasingly central to biodiversity outcomes. At this Plenary, the first assessment on Business and Biodiversity is expected to be approved. These spaces matter because many of the most significant pressures on and opportunities for biodiversity sit beyond government alone.
Bangor University is working with the ONet facilitation team, which played a major role in designing and delivering Stakeholder Day. ONet (the Open-ended Network of IPBES Stakeholders) is a global, self-assembled network that connects the diverse communities engaging with IPBES, supporting participation, learning, and collaboration across sectors and regions.
As part of an ONet initiative, Bangor University’s research on the governance of large, self-assembled stakeholder groups is actively taking place within this setting. This work examines how complex stakeholder networks organize, make decisions, and sustain meaningful participation - questions that are especially relevant when engaging business actors in global biodiversity governance. Dr Whitney Fleming, research fellow at Bangor University School of Environmental and Natural Resources said,
IPBES stakeholder day had a fabulous energy. There is increasing recognition that the private sector has a key role to play in both funding and facilitating nature recovery. It was really good to see the engagement throughout the programme by businesses who are working hard to address impacts on nature.
Stakeholder Day in Manchester underscores a key lesson for IPBES and beyond: effective biodiversity governance depends not only on strong evidence, but on how inclusive processes are designed, facilitated, and governed. Understanding those dynamics is essential as biodiversity action increasingly relies on broad, cross-sector engagement.