Global Biodiversity

 

Global Biodiversity research priorities and emerging issues were considered via an inter-agency committee called the GBSC, which was operational between 2004 and 2010.

 

The Global Biodiversity Sub-Committee (GBSC)  was one of five sub-groups of the Global Environmental Change Committee (GECC) and brought together the key governmental and other major funders of biodiversity research in the UK, to ensure that there was an evidence base and scientific capacity which was fit for purpose to support development of Government policy on global biodiversity change, and that the needs of policy informed the work undertaken to develop the science base. The GECC was superceded by the Living With Environmental Change programme.

 

The full Terms of Reference (PDF, 34 kb) of the group identified how it fulfilled its remit. 

 

 

 

The GBSC 'model' for debating and developing international biodiversity research needs has been effective at undertaking important policy-relevant reviews and providing advice to underpin policy requirements. The thematic approach taken by GBSC has proved particularly effective, allowing the group to attract leading academics to present state of knowledge reports at meetings; this thematic approach is compatible with the growing culture of inter-disciplinary activity within biodiversity conservation (the move towards an ecosystem approach).  The results are produced as thematic reports available for downloading.

 

GBSC Membership and Secretariat

 

The GBSC was chaired by Defra's Deputy Science Director and Secretariat support provided by the JNCC.

 

 

Each year the GBSC submitted an annual report to the main GECC, outlining the substantive issues covered during the reporting period and identifying future dicussion items. These are available for downloading in chronological order.