In line with their workplans for 2025, the IPBES task forces on scenarios and models and on Indigenous and local knowledge are organizing a workshop to reflect on scenarios and models that better account for different knowledge systems, including Indigenous and local knowledge systems, and Mother Earth-centric1 scenarios and models. The workshop is planned to be held over four days in Valencia, the Philippines, in May 2025.
IPBES assessments have consistently highlighted the importance of Indigenous and local knowledge (ILK) for conceptualising and planning for better futures at global scales. However, they have also highlighted a lack of scenarios2 that engage with ILK or that are developed with the participation of Indigenous Peoples and local communities (IPLCs), particularly at the global scale. They also noted a need to move towards building scenario narratives based on diverse knowledge systems, multiple perspectives and values with a strong focus on desirable visions for human relationships with nature. Such scenarios can aim to have broader ownership, relevance and uptake for decision-making at all levels, including by IPLCs.
The IPBES task forces on scenarios and models and on Indigenous and local knowledge have collaborated on a series of activities that have aimed to fill this knowledge gap, as described in the concept note for the workshop (available here). The upcoming workshop aims to continue this work, through an exploration of the following questions:
- How do IPLC organizations or communities conceptualise the future? What are examples of communities or organizations doing “scenario building” or “visioning” work, or other work that explores futures in different ways? What are the goals of these activities? What methods are they using and why?
- How can this work by IPLCs inform IPBES assessments and other processes related to scenarios analysis, to start to fill in the gap recognized by previous assessments? What are the potential challenges and risks? What would be the benefits to IPLCs?
- Which different processes, tools and methods are needed for working with ILK and IPLCs in scenario building at a global or regional scale? How should these be developed? What are the potential challenges? What would be the benefits to IPLCs? What would be the benefits to global efforts towards achieving living in harmony with nature?
- Is there a role for the Nature Futures Framework, a flexible tool to support the development of scenarios and models of desirable futures for people, nature and Mother Earth,3 as developed by the scenarios and models task force, to help communicate the findings of visioning processes with IPLCs, including to IPBES assessments, policymakers and others working with scenarios and models? If so, how?
The workshop will be held in English and will comprise about 20 participants selected by the IPBES Multidisciplinary Expert Panel.
Participants will include members of Indigenous Peoples and local communities, including those with experience in visioning and futures-orientated activities at different scales, as well as members of the IPBES task forces on scenarios and models and on Indigenous and local knowledge. Selection of the participants will reflect attention to regional and gender balances.
Governments and other stakeholders are invited to nominate experts and practitioners to participate in this workshop. Organizations or institutions wishing to nominate are not required to have the status of an observer to the Plenary of IPBES to make a nomination. Please help us to disseminate this call for nominations of relevant experts and practitioners widely.
- Please follow this procedure for nomination: Nominees are invited to fill out the application form and attach their curriculum vitae, through the dedicated web portal at: https://www.ipbes.net/scenarios-models/workshop-application
- To access this page, you will need to log in with your IPBES website login credentials. Nominees not yet registered on the IPBES website will need to do so at https://ipbes.net/user/register. The nomination form is in English only, and applications should be submitted in English, as the workshop will be conducted in English.
- The nominating Government or organization (Nominator) indicated by the nominee will receive an email with a link to the nomination form and will be invited to approve and submit the nominations in the web portal. Only nominations approved and submitted by the nominator will be considered for the workshop;
- Nominators and nominees will receive a confirmation via email once the nomination has been duly submitted.
Interested experts and practitioners wishing to be nominated by a Government are encouraged to contact their IPBES National Focal Point (https://www.ipbes.net/national-focal-points) regarding any country-specific processes or deadlines and are requested to fill out their application form by 9 February, 2025. Nominators (Governments or organizations) should approve the applications and submit their nominations by 19 February, 2025. Early nominations ahead of the deadline are encouraged.