Obstacles and opportunities to implement the IPBES Framework in Iran

Hossein Kazemi and Christine Fürst

Ecosystem Services, 2022, vol. 58, issue C

Abstract: To make a significant contribution to halt global biodiversity losses, a worldwide breaking down of the IPBES findings at national scales is indispensable. So far, in some world regions and countries, this process is at the very beginning. Iran is a country with many different ecosystem types and high biodiversity. Still, the concept of ecosystem services (ES) has not yet been introduced as the main concept for policy and decision-making. We investigated the implementation of IPBES-oriented ES and biodiversity assessments for this country with desktop research. Based on a thorough literature review of Iranian publications, we answered this question “How can the IPBES framework be implemented in Iran?”. Our finding showed that there is a need to address the status of ES in the ecosystems of Iran using internationally accepted methods and frameworks. In order to facilitate the implementation of IPBES, we offer a main strategy as evaluation of ES for development programs in Iran. Based on the result, several organizations can contribute to IPBES capacity-building. Additionally, Iranian NGOs and local communities presenting the deliverables, activities and outputs to target audiences are under development to ensure implementation of comprehensive ES projects. Thus, we can improve communications and outreach for target stakeholders in ES projects in Iran. Based on this, we suggest the establishment of an Iranian stakeholders network (ISN) using a web-based infrastructure for ES assessment performance, participatory exercises, data sharing and information management in Iran. It seems that almost none of the stakeholders are aware of ES concepts, theories and policies, and this is a fundamental challenge in the implementation of the IPBES framework in Iran. Advanced work on policy support tools, methodologies, scenarios and models needs to develop a policy support web portal. In Iran, some non-governmental companies have sufficient capacity to perform it. The following organizations can help implement the strategy in different stages: Environmental organizations, local governments, science and technology ministry, power ministry, agricultural organizations, natural resources organizations, universities and research institutes. Also, local knowledge could be recognized and implemented as a participatory mechanism for strengthening the knowledge foundations of ES assessment in Iran.

Keywords: Agroecosystems; Ecosystem services (ES); IPBES; Iran; Natural ecosystems (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:ecoser:v:58:y:2022:i:c:s2212041622000924

DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoser.2022.101496

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