The social sciences and the humanities in the intergovernmental science-policy platform on biodiversity and ecosystem services (IPBES) Social scientists and scholars from the humanities are critical to the success of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES)

The role of the social sciences (including economics) and humanities is of paramount importance in the work of the Intergovernmental science-policy platform on biodiversity and ecosystem services (IPBES), along with the natural sciences and technology. Too often national and international assessments have been dominated by natural scientists. The IPBES has recognized this weakness and has actively encouraged governments and scientific organizations to nominate social scientists and scholars from the humanities to be involved in IPBES activities, especially scientific assessments. The assessment of the past, present and projected plausible future states of biodiversity and of nature's contributions to people (which includes ecosystem services), along with the implications for a good quality of life, requires a transdisciplinary approach. This approach must involve all relevant stakeholders (including scientists, governments, international organizations, and non-governmental organizations) in the co-design, co-production and co-communication of all of its activities, including thematic, spatial (regional and global) and methodological assessments, policy support tools, capacity-building and the stimulation of new research. Governments have fully recognized that human activities are adversely affecting biodiversity and the Earth's climate, and have in the past few years negotiated three major international agreements, the Aichi Biodiversity Targets, the Paris climate agreement and the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Loss of biodiversity and degradation of ecosystems and their services, just like human-induced climate change, are not just environmental issues, but economic, social, security and development issues. Indeed, most of the seventeen United Nations Sustainable Development Goals cannot be met unless the twenty Aichi Targets and the goals embedded in the Paris climate agreement are met and vice versa. Governments and other stakeholders do not need to be told how severe the situation is. What they primarily need to know is: what can be done to address the issues of loss of biodiversity and climate change? Given the emphasis on response options in all of the IPBES assessments, the social sciences and humanities have a very critical role to play. The IPBES conceptual framework explicitly highlights the central role of drivers, anthropogenic assets and institutions, and implicitly the concept of economic and social values, which are clearly the domain of