PBES needs your expertise to review the Spatial Planning & Ecological Connectivity Assessment, which will guide the implementation of the UN’s Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.
This assessment will be presented at IPBES 13 in 2027 and will shape how terrestrial, freshwater and marine environments are planned and managed. Your input will have a direct impact on global policy.

What expertise are we looking for?

Diverse disciplines, from geography, ecology, spatial and urban planning, to architecture, law, political science and economics. Scope of the assessment is terrestrial, inland water as well as marine ecosystems. Reviewers from government, industry, civil society and indigenous and local knowledge are also encouraged to apply!
What we’re asking
Review any portion—a full chapter, section, or even specific paragraphs. All contributions matter, but with specific focus on the Summary for Policymakers.
Review period: Monday December 14 – Wednesday January 20 2027

Why this matters

This assessment analyses biodiversity-inclusive spatial planning and ecological connectivity across terrestrial, freshwater and marine systems, focusing on methods, indicators, models and scenarios for the protection, restoration and sustainable use of nature across all spatial and temporal scales. Whether you work on protected areas, migration routes, climate adaptation, spatial modelling, or the nexus between biodiversity, food and water — your expertise directly contributes to this global synthesis report.

How to participate

1. Send us an email to register as reviewer
2. Access draft documents (you’ll receive confidential access via email once the documents are available)
3. Submit comments using the provided Excel template by 20^th January 2027 to pbesnl@biodiversiteit.org

This is a governmental review round and is thus under strict confidentiality. To participate, please indicate your interest in reviewing by sending us an email and we can share the relevant parts with you under embargo.

Need more information?

At the beginning of December we will post short knowledge clips on 1) What is IPBES and how does its assessment cycle work, 2) What is the Spatial Planning and Ecological Connectivity assessment about and 3) Short walkthrough on how reviewing in a governmental review works and how it can differ from reviewing a scientific article.

Need more information on the content of the assessment before you decide to review? See the brief chapter descriptions below or have a look at the Full scoping report for this assessment for more detailed descriptions.

Questions? Contact pbesnl@biodiversiteit.org or mea-ipbes@un.org (technical issues)

Important Review guidelines

Critical confidentiality requirement: All draft documents are strictly embargoed. You may not cite, quote, share, or publish findings from these drafts. The assessment is still under scientific review—conclusions may be revised or refuted. This embargo protects the integrity of both the scientific and policy processes leading to IPBES 13 in 2027.

What to focus on:

• Be specific and detailed. General comments like “this approach isn’t right” are difficult to act on. Instead, pinpoint exactly what needs attention: “Line 15 on page 23 states X, but this conflicts with Y” or “Section 3.2 is missing reference to Z methodology.” See also tab “2. Example” in the Excel file that is provided by IPBES.
• One targeted comment is valuable. You don’t need to review everything—even feedback on a single line can significantly improve the assessment.
• Include literature references. Authors are experts but cannot know everything. Suggest specific citations to strengthen the evidence base, especially for emerging methods, underrepresented regions, or Indigenous and local knowledge systems.
• Review only where you have expertise. Your specialized knowledge in specific taxonomic groups, ecosystems, monitoring methods, or regions is exactly what’s needed.

What to skip:

• Style and spelling. Grammar, punctuation, and formatting will be addressed in later stages. Some sentences may receive dozens of comments—that comma doesn’t matter yet.
• Broad, overarching critiques. While potentially valid, general statements like “this framework has limitations” are hard to operationalize. Save comprehensive analyses for other venues; here, precision drives improvement.

Chapter overview
Summary for Policymakers (SPM): Presents key messages and policy options for approval by the IPBES Plenary, i.e. all governments involved in IPBES. The SPM ensures alignment between scientific findings and actionable recommendations for decision-makers.

Ch. 1 – Setting the scene: Introduces how the assessment links to the IPBES conceptual framework and defines biodiversity-inclusive spatial planning and ecological connectivity, explains their importance for a sustainable future.

Ch. 2 – Implementing target 1 of the Kunming-Montreal GBF: Examines how biodiversity-inclusive spatial planning — including urban planning — can conserve nature and reduce trade-offs between land and sea use across sectors and scales.

Ch. 3 – Restoration and protected areas (targets 2 & 3): Assesses methods and priorities for identifying areas for restoration and conservation, including protected areas and other effective area-based conservation measures, with attention to ecological connectivity and sustainable livelihoods.

Ch. 4 – Maintaining, restoring and enhancing ecological connectivity: Assesses the role of ecological connectivity — both structural and functional — in ecosystem functioning, species survival and genetic diversity, and reviews available policy tools and indicators for safeguarding corridors and ecological networks.

Ch. 5 – Spatial planning for the future: Scenarios to assess synergies and trade-offs in the biodiversity-food-water-health-climate-energy nexus, exploring how spatial planning can improve outcomes across terrestrial, freshwater and marine environments.

Ch. 6 – Creating an enabling environment: Assesses the governance frameworks, policy tools, financing mechanisms and capacity needs required to implement integrated biodiversity-inclusive spatial planning and ecological connectivity, with particular attention to developing countries.