The Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) is an independent intergovernmental organization established by Governments in 2012 to strengthen the science-policy interface for biodiversity and ecosystem services for the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity, long-term human well-being and sustainable development. It serves a similar role to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), though in addition to undertaking scientific assessments, IPBES also supports efforts to generate new knowledge, build capacity and promote the development and use of policy support tools. In keeping with widespread linguistic convention, the acronym is officially pronounced as “ip-bes” — “ip” as in “hip” and “bes” as in “best”.