Although modern science has been able to prosper on the principle of specialization, it is now time to build more cooperative, better integrated approaches that can combine the progressmade by each science in its own field.
Throughout the IYB steady progress was made towards the establishment of an Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) on the model of the IPCC, pivotal in assessing the science and raising global awareness of climate change.