We are holding this open meeting to explore the potential interest in constituting a UK National Committee for Diversitas, the international research programme on integrating biodiversity science for human well-being. 

Diversitas is one of the global environmental change programmes formed under the International Council for Scientific Unions (ICSU). These programmes currently have quite a high profile as we move into 2012 and 2013 with the Rio+20 meetings, the formation of an Intergovernmental Panel on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) and other related events. There is a major restructuring of the ICSU science programmes now underway that could have important implications for UK environmental sciences (see the ICSU site: http://www.icsu.org/what-we-do/projects-activities/visioning;  and the recent Policy Forum by Walt Reid et al in Science).

Many other countries have national committees for Diversitas, and the UK has national committees for other global change programmes (IGBP and IHDP for example). The national committees are a useful resource for the global change programmes, for example coordinating international research programmes, and recommending new committee members. Within the UK the four ICSU global change programmes are well coordinated through the Global Environmental Research Committee supported by the Royal Society.

Two new developments make a UK Committee worth considering now. First the IPBES negotiations are reaching a stage where political negotiations will be replaced by activity in the scientific community. National scientific links will be via ICSU, and specifically through Diversitas. Second, Diversitas is about to launch a new science plan. This has a lot of resonance with current Defra, DfID and NERC priorities and UK researchers would benefit from good links to it.

During the November open meeting the rationale, the ICSU vision and the Diversitas science plan will be presented; there will then be an opportunity for delegates to discuss the merits of setting up a UK Committee and express an interest in becoming involved.

Georgina Mace (Diversitas Science Committee), Charles Godfray (BES President), Dave Raffaelli (NERC BESS Director), Mark Bailey (NERC CEH), Ken Norris (NERC Biodiveristy theme leader).