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Photo caption: High-Level Panel during the Target 18 event. From Left: Valerie Hickey of the World Bank; Carlos Eduardo Correa, Colombia’s former minister of environment and sustainable development; Patricia Zurita of Conservation International; Eva Zabey of Business for Nature; Prasad Ananthakrishnan of the International Monetary Fund; and Moderator Rosina Bierbaum, STAP Chair. Photo: Justin Catanoso for Mongabay.
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The Chair of the Scientific and Technical Advisory Panel (STAP), Dr. Rosina Bierbaum, presented the report of the Panel to the 66th meeting of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) on February 7, 2024.
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Rosina Bierbaum, STAP Chair, was elected to the American Philosophical Society (APS) in its biological sciences class - an honor for only 33 people in the world each year.
At the recent gala of The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), Rosina Bierbaum, Chair of STAP, had the privilege of introducing Carlos Manuel Rodríguez, the CEO and Chair of the Global Environment Facility (GEF). He was honored for his achievements in biodiversity conservation and his commitment to the global environment.
During the 63rd GEF Council Meeting, Rosina Bierbaum, Chair, Scientific and Technical Advisory Panel (STAP), presented the Report of the Chairperson of the STAP, discussing STAP’s work to help streamline the GEF project cycle, noting a new, simpler Project Identification Form (PIF) template, a new set of STAP screening guidelines, and a new STAP screening template.
On 30 November, Dr. Rosina Bierbaum, the STAP Chair, announced, that Dr. Ngonidzashe Chirinda had been appointed as the new Panel Member for Climate Change Mitigation. Dr. Bierbaum said that “Dr. Chirinda will add considerably to STAP’s breadth and depth!”
As part of the GEF family, STAP joins in mourning the overwhelming loss of renowned tropical scientist Gustavo Fonseca, the long-standing Director of Programs at the GEF, who passed away on August 30, 2022.
At the opening of the day, Rosina Bierbaum, STAP Chair, provided an overview of scientific developments related to the GEF-8 agenda, explaining that we have now transgressed six planetary boundaries, including climate change, biogeochemical flows, biosphere integrity, land system change, novel entities (toxics and plastics), and green water. She called attention to the “transformation/risk/innovation trio,” saying transformational change will require innovation, which can entail risks.
Rosina Bierbaum, the STAP Chair, is delighted to announce that Dr. Miriam Diamond has been appointed as the new Panel Member for Chemicals and Waste.
Members elected to the NAS were introduced to their colleagues in the Academy and signed the "Registry of Membership in April of 2022. In addition to Rosina Bierbaum, STAP Chair, Dr. Tom Lovejoy, former STAP Chair and Senior Advisor to the Chair, was posthumously inducted. NAS membership is a widely accepted mark of excellence in science and is considered one of the highest honors that a scientist can receive.
Dr. Rosina Bierbaum, STAP Chair, was a contributing author to an article published in Conservation Letters, A journal of the Society for Conservation Biology.
Tom Lovejoy, former Chair of STAP (2008 – 2012) and Senior Advisor to the current STAP Chair, passed away early on Christmas Day surrounded by his daughters and family, his thousands of books, a roaring fire, and in his own beloved log cabin (Drover's Rest).
On Wednesday, 8 December 2021, Dr. Rosina Bierbaum reported to the GEF Council on the Panel's recent work. In introducing the report, the STAP Chair also summarized a number of recent scientific findings, including:
The streets of Manaus, Brazil, are empty due to the COVID-19 pandemic.“When COVID-19 arrived, usual human activity around the world paused or slowed, and nature responded to the opportunity.
Dr. Rosina Bierbaum, STAP Chair, reported to the GEF Council on the Panel's recent work, and she also summarized a number of "New Science" articles, of which a few are mentioned here:
Dr. Thomas E. Lovejoy, former STAP Chair, has been elected as a member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences (NAS). He is one of 120 scientists, with 59 being women, elected in 2021, which brings the total number of active members to 2,461.
Election into the membership of the NAS is known as one of the highest honors a scientist can obtain, and is presented to scientists who have reached “distinguished and continuing achievements in original research”[1].
The Nobel Prize Summit is a meeting for Nobel Prize laureates, experts, policy makers, teachers, students – about how humankind’s future on Earth will be achieved and shaped. Here you can view the Agenda for the upcoming session.
Rosina Bierbaum, STAP Chair, is pleased to announce the appointment of Prof. John Donaldson as the new STAP Panel Member for biodiversity.
Carlos Manuel Rodriguez, the chair and CEO of the GEF convened a Technical Advisory Group (TAG) meeting in preparation for the next phase of the GEF (July 2022 to June 2026).
On 8 December, Dr. Rosina Bierbaum, Chair of STAP, reported on the Panel’s recent work for the Council.
The rapid adaptation to "work from home" during the COVID crisis has had a variety of environmental implications. While many commentators have noted the reduction in urban air pollution due to reduced commutes and transport emissions, the adaptation has a hidden supply chain of materials and energy. In order to work from home, we have relied on a vast network of materials needed for internet cables, computer servers and memory storage devices.
The Scientific and Technical Advisory Panel provides independent advice to the Global Environment Facility