About ONet

The Open-ended Network of IPBES Stakeholders (ONet) is recognised and underpinned by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES). ONet is a space for stakeholders to organise among the community, engage with IPBES, and support the platform's work: in service of biodiversity and nature's contributions to people.

ONet was established following a decision by the third IPBES Plenary in 2015 (Decision IPBES-3/4), and encouraged by the stakeholder community. The network is part of the IPBES Stakeholder Engagement Strategy, a novel and in some ways unique approach among institutions like IPBES.

 

“An important element for the relevance, effectiveness, credibility and overall success of the Platform.”

~ the third IPBES Plenary on stakeholder engagement

 

 

Group of people around a campfire
We encourage community, ...

What we do

  • ONet fosters communication between stakeholders and IPBES. We provide information on IPBES. We organise meetings between stakeholders and the IPBES Secretariat. We co-organise Stakeholder Day, our main conference, prior to each plenary session. We coordinate stakeholder statements at the plenaries.
     
  • We help disseminate IPBES products and achievements. For an example, see our resource page on the 2023 Invasive alien species assessment. We support capacity-building in service of biodiversity and nature's contributions to people. For an example, see our e-learning catalogues.
     
  • ONet strengthens support for IPBES. We engage with different groups and communities. We mobilise intangible and in-kind contributions to the platform.
     
  • We host an online space for the stakeholder community. Here you can find other stakeholders, share events, publish your news, stories and insights, and more: get involved today.

 

 

Ecologists in the field
... capacity-building, ...

ONet membership

Membership of ONet is free of charge and comes at no financial cost. The IPBES plenary is keen to engage diverse stakeholders: it has emphasised diversity in geography, disciplines, and knowledge systems. For more detailed information on ONet, please see the terms of reference.
>> Key documents and resources

If you'd like to engage with IPBES on biodiversity and nature's contributions to people, you are a potential stakeholder: ONet welcomes both contributors to IPBES, as well as distributors and end-users of its products. Among stakeholders, we welcome policy makers and government officals at all levels, researchers of all disciplines, environment practitioners, people who hold local knowledge relevant to biodiversity, businesses and industry, community organisations, intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations, media, and communities and the public at large.
>> Apply for individual membership

For organisational membership, please see our separate application form:
>> Apply for organisational membership

 

 

Women in discussion
... and knowledge exchange.

IPBES Stakeholder Registry & Networks

Alongside their participation in ONet, all members are also encouraged to join the IPBES Stakeholder Registry: you will receive official IPBES communications for stakeholders directly.
>> IPBES Stakeholder Registry

ONet is one of two IPBES stakeholder networks. The second is the International Indigenous Forum on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IIFBES). All IPBES stakeholders are welcome to request to join either or both networks.
>> IIFBES

Within ONet, members with interests in the social sciences and humanities are invited to join a dedicated network:
>> SSH Network

 

 

The ONet facilitation team

The facilitation team look after ONet's virtual spaces and coordinate the network. The team's members meet at least once a month throughout the year. They respond to issues relating to the IPBES work program, plan events, such as speaker series, and undertake surveys to assess the needs and wishes of the stakeholder community.

Furthermore, the facilitation team organise ONet Caucus Days. They work with the IPBES Secretariat to plan and deliver the Stakeholder Day that precedes each IPBES plenary. The facilitation team also coordinate IPBES stakeholders' joint efforts in crafting their statements to IPBES plenaries.

 

 

Laure

Gland, Switzerland

Laure
Laure

laure.denos[at]iucn.org

Laure Denos has worked in France, Spain, Chile, Honduras and El Salvador for the last 10+ years, dealing with sustainable town planning, energy efficiency, environmental policy and the science-policy interface in local, national and international contexts. She is an environmental engineer and holds a Master in political science and access to basic services in developing countries, from the Institute of Political Studies (France). She is currently an IUCN science-policy expert and she also supports the IPBES Secretariat in stakeholder engagement.

 

Franziska

Rosenheim, Germany

Franziska
Franziska

franziska.fischer[at]mail.com

Franziska Fischer is an agricultural scientist investigating wheat, currently writing up her PhD thesis at the University of Cambridge. Before joining the ONet facilitation team, she served on the Royal Society of Biology’s Education and Science Policy Committee for five years. Franziska is also pursuing a personal interest in crop biodiversity and public engagement with science as a STEM Ambassador with STEM Learning UK. She holds an M.Sc. in Agricultural Sciences majoring in Agro-Economics from TUM (Germany) and an MSc in Crop Improvement from the University of Nottingham (UK).

 

Pradeep

New Delhi, India

Pradeep
Pradeep

pdubeybhu[at]gmail.com

Pradeep K. Dubey, PhD is a Program Manager with the Sustainable Landscapes and Restoration team at the World Resource Institute India (WRI India). His work largely aligns with landscape restoration activity following a bottom-up approach in agriculture, forestry, and common land area in India. He is UN-IPBES Fellow for the IPBES Nexus Assessment, and member of three IUCN commissions (CEM, CEC, CEESP), as well as GSBI, and GLP. He is a recipient of the Special Recognition Award, IUCN-CEM Agroecosystems, Young Scientists Award, Society for science of climate change and environmental sustainability, India, and selected for Young Scientist presentation, APN, Japan. Pradeep holds an MSc-PhD degree in Environmental Science from Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India. He lead-authored the Springer book on ‘Adaptive Agricultural Practices, building resilience under changing climate’, and is editing upcoming books on ‘Sustainable plant nutrition & soil carbon sequestration' (Springer), and ‘Land restoration for achieving UN Sustainable Development Goals (Elsevier). He serves as Subject Editor for Vegetos (Springer) and Assistant Editor for Anthropocene Science (Springer). He attended the ninth IPBES Plenary in Bonn, Germany in person and represented ONet and SSH Network in Nairobi, Kenya during the sixth meeting of the IPBES capacity-building forum as a member of the facilitation team.

 

Maja

Brussels, Belgium & Hamburg, Germany

Maja Leonie Metzger
Maja

majaleonie[at]posteo.de

Driven by her passion for IPBES, Maja Leonie Metzger is thrilled to be a part of the IPBES ONet facilitacion team, where she anticipates actively contributing to bring together individuals and communities dedicated to IPBES and biodiversity. In her professional role with an international NGO, she's involved in international policy and a diverse range of topics, including marine conservation, disaster response, and wildlife crime. Simultaneously, she's pursuing an advanced Master's degree with a focus on environmental policy, where she enjoys drawing upon IPBES assessments in her research.

 

Oscar

Bogor, Indonesia

Oscar
Oscar

muremyioscar[at]yahoo.fr

Oscar Umwanzisiwemuremyi was born and grew up in rural area inhabited by farmers near to Nyungwe rain forest in Nyamagabe, Southwest of Rwanda. However, he was very interested and motivated to learn more and was always looking for opportunities fortify. He did his best to go to high school where I became fascinated with biology, chemistry, physics, geography, math and history and pursued applied chemistry in my Undergraduate. After, he got job as a tour guide from June 2014 to August 2021, later as a herpetologist in 2019 and a curator in 2021 at the Kandt House Museum, which is under Rwanda Cultural Heritage Academy. He specializes in culture and nature tourism as well as contact management and daily management of the museum.

His experiences inspired his interest not only in the environment and its biodiversity but also in culture and nature heritage conservation and protection. As a masters student in Natural Resource and Environment Management at Bogor Agriculture University known as Institut Pertania Bogor ( IPB) in Indonesia, he is following and learning about conservation practices, solutions for environmental pollution, sound management of natural resources and cultural heritage as well as climate change mitigation for the sake of biodiversity and heritage, future generation and our planet as whole. Finally he dreams to continue with doctorate studies for better professionalization and a brighter future for himself, his family, his country and our World.

 

Thomas

Trondheim, Norway

Portrait of Thomas Sutcliffe
Thomas

thomas.sutcliffe[at]nina.no

Thomas represents the Social Sciences and Humanities Network (SSH Network) on the facilitation team: an ONet sub-group and member organisation working to improve the integration of SSH knowledge within IPBES.

Thomas E. Sutcliffe, PhD is a social scientist and researcher at the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA) where he uses qualitative methodologies to investigate aspects of governance, knowledge, and societal transformations that are intertwined with issues of area use, land-use changes, ecosystem restoration, and biodiversity. Moreover, he is pursuing interests in understanding how society represents and understands forms of crises related to nature and biodiversity, but also to issues of justice and pollution. Thomas holds a PhD in Interdisciplinary Studies of Culture where he researched the concept of the circular economy and how, in particular, sub-national authorities govern this concept and how the politics of consumption plays into the implementation of the circular economy.

 

Elaina

Trondheim, Norway

contact Elaina

Elaina represents the Young Ecosystem Services Specialists (YESS) on the facilitation team: an ONet member organisation, IPBES observer organisation, and initiative for young scientists and practitioners.

Elaina Jacqulene Wiljanen Weber is a PhD Candidate at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU).

 

The ONet facilitation team gratefully acknowledge the contributions of our predecessors:
>> List of former members of the facilitation team

 

 

ONet's supporters

ONet is first and foremost a network run by stakeholders for stakeholders: we commend the countless hours, efforts, and expertise contributed by ONet's many individual and organisation members.

We further thank the IPBES Secretariat, Bureau, Experts, Members and Observers for their outspoken and often hands-on support of stakeholder engagement in the platform's work.

Finally, we thank IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) for their generous financial contributions towards ONet and stakeholder engagement with IPBES.

 

 

Image credits for this page
Jace & Afsoon/Unsplash
Tegan Mierle/Unsplash
Goodluz/Shutterstock
Monstera Production/Pexels
Photos of the facilitation team members were supplied privately.

Credits for other hero images on the website
Front page: Jeremy Cai/Unsplash
Get Involved: Artem Firsov (Wonderful Nature)/Shutterstock
News: Andrey Gulivanov/Unsplash
Blog: norikko/Shutterstock
Events: Esperanza Doronila/Unsplash
SSH Network: Samuel Scrimshaw/Unsplash
Invasive Alien Species: lauriedkr/iNaturalist