An eastern indigo snake, a threatened species. Photo CC-BY livingalongsidewildlife.
In May 2019, the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) released its of the forthcoming Global Assessment Report on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Service. Over 450 expert authors and contributors synthesize data and information from 15,000 scientific and government sources to determine the status of biodiversity around the world. I will speak to the top-line results of the report and tie them explicitly to the U.S. Endangered Species Act, our nation’s best line of defense against extinction and the threats identifed in the IPBES report. Response to a followup question from Representative Huffman.
As the previous Director in the Center for Conservation Innovation at Defenders, Jacob led CCI’s work at the intersection of science, technology, and policy to improve conservation outcomes, especially for threatened and endangered species.