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Transformative change for biodiversity involves more than reforming policies and institutions. It also calls for examining the mindsets, values and assumptions that shape how those systems operate. Our very own Alexandra Postrigan reflects on the underlying causes of biodiversity loss identified in the IPBES Transformative Change Assessment, drawing connections to experiences from BES-Net’s Trialogues. The article explores how perceived separation from nature and other people can influence our choices, relationships and treatment of different knowledge systems. It also considers how personal transformation can contribute to systemic change without replacing the policy, finance and institutional action that remain essential. Read the full feature here: https://lnkd.in/eeHc5zx2

The first global review of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework at #COP17Armenia will draw on what countries measure and report. But some contributions to implementation are barely visible in that evidence. Data and knowledge to track progress were among the persistent barriers discussed at the Kunming Dialogue in September. In our latest #YouthCorner article written after the Dialogue, Deniz Dutton applies that barrier to young people. She notes that the #KMGBF’s monitoring framework has no indicator for youth involvement. Without it, governments have little evidence of how much implementation work young people carry out — and little basis for investing in it. “When demographics remain invisible, they remain uninvestable.” Read the full feature to understand what young people expect COP17 to do about gaps like these beyond acknowledging their role. https://lnkd.in/enDgbKBK

Four protected areas in the Dominican Republic have important gaps in what is known about their wildlife and habitats. Filling those gaps is part of what comes after the country’s first national ecosystem assessment, which drew together scientific research and local and traditional knowledge. Baseline studies in those four areas will give a starting point for tracking change over time. The plans also look beyond protected areas, to the island’s mangroves and dry forests and to how sea turtles are protected along its coasts. The Dominican Republic is the 17th country to receive BES Solution Fund backing for work like this. Read our latest press release to find out what’s planned and where. https://lnkd.in/e8sYDJb5

Malawi's national ecosystem assessment findings are being applied to biodiversity planning, conservation measures and financing efforts. Following the assessment's launch in May 2026, Malawi has become the 16th country to receive BES Solution Fund support, helping translate findings into national biodiversity planning and implementation. The next phase focuses on three priorities: – Strengthening the National Biodiversity Platform, including thematic working groups on Indigenous and local knowledge and work to develop a biodiversity investment and resource mobilization pipeline. – Identifying and designating a priority site as an Other Effective Area-Based Conservation Measure, with management planning, district-level integration and capacity-building. – Expanding the uptake of assessment findings to support National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans III, including a targeted campaign connecting biodiversity evidence and national priorities with financing solutions. For Malawi, where approximately 85% of the population depends on biodiversity and ecosystem services for livelihoods, applying this evidence has implications for biodiversity planning and development. See how Malawi is taking its national ecosystem assessment forward through the BES Solution Fund: https://lnkd.in/e7zkUCeD

The September BES-Net Blast is out! This edition looks at how biodiversity knowledge is moving into national policy across several regions. Inside: ✓ Cambodia and Malawi become the 15th and 16th countries to receive BES Solution Fund support, each at a different stage of its national ecosystem assessment ✓ A new how-to guide for experts who support delegations at intergovernmental climate and biodiversity plenaries. ✓ The GBIF: The Global Biodiversity Information Facility is now an accredited observer to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification, so it takes part in all three Rio Conventions ✓ Biodiversa+ #BiodivFuture research call which asks how human-driven changes are reshaping ecosystems. The full edition is here: https://lnkd.in/guTg98TH

In 2024, Bosnia and Herzegovina finalized its first national ecosystem assessment. That raised the next question: how will this evidence reach the people who decide how nature is conserved and managed? The country's answer is a biodiversity platform currently in development with UNDP in Bosnia and Herzegovina through the BES Solution Fund. Since May 2026, multisectoral modules have brought 96 stakeholders from ministries, faculties, business and civil society into the same room. Participants have debated what legal status the platform should have and how it can be coordinated across levels of government. A dedicated training session coached scientists to present their findings in language that can readily inform policy. "The assessment essentially provides a baseline of the state of nature, which is constantly evolving," says Prof. Milan Mataruga of the University of Banja Luka, who co-chaired the assessment. The platform is designed to keep that picture current long after any single project ends. Read how the platform is taking shape: https://lnkd.in/ehviRX8d