Sub-Global Assessments and Working Group
Global environmental change is increasingly understood to
have causes and effects that span multiple scales, from the
local to the global. Accurate and informed assessments of
what is taking place, and what to reasonably expect in the
future, are therefore critical for decision-makers. Yet,
until recently, international scientific assessments
typically focused more on global phenomena than on processes
at subglobal levels, or on interactions across scales. The
MA was conducted as a “multiscale” assessment, consisting of
interlinked assessments undertaken at local, watershed,
national, regional and global scales.
Sub-Global Assessments
The MA sub-global assessments were designed to meet needs
of decision-makers at the scale at which they are
undertaken, strengthen the global findings with
on-the-ground reality, and strengthen the local findings
with global perspectives, data, and models. There are 18
MA-approved sub-global assessments, and an additional
fifteen with an associated status. Assessments at sub-global
scales are needed because ecosystems are highly
differentiated in space and time, and because sound
management requires careful local planning and action. Local
assessments alone are insufficient, however, because some
processes are global, and because local goods, services,
matter, and energy are often transferred across regions. The
sub-global assessments will directly meet the needs of
decision-makers at the scale at which they are undertaken,
strengthen the global findings with on-the-ground reality,
and strengthen the local findings with global perspectives,
data, and models.
 Approved
Assessments
|
 Associated
Assessments
|
Assessment report outline
Contents, Foreword, Preface [pdf,
1212 KB]
01. MA Conceptual Framework [pdf,
431 KB]
02. Overview [pdf, 196 KB]
03. Ecosystem Services and Human Well-being
[pdf, 258 KB]
04. Multi-Scale Approach [pdf,
728 KB]
05. Multiple Knowledge Systems [pdf,
437 KB]
06. Assessment Process [pdf, 261
KB]
07. Drivers of Ecosystem Change [pdf,
1327 KB]
08. Condition and Trends [pdf,
1181 KB]
09. Responses [pdf, 472 KB]
10. Scenarios [pdf, 2310 KB]
11. Community Assessments [pdf,
451 KB]
12. Reflections and Lessons Learned
[pdf, 158 KB]
Appendices [pdf, 7571 KB]
Sub-Global Working Group
The MA Sub-Global Working Group, comprised of all the MA
sub-global assessments, produced a sub-global assessment.
This report is both a synthesis of the findings of the
various sub-global assessments and a resource on the lessons
learned through the process on multiscale assessment
methodologies, cross-scale interactions, and the
incorporation of traditional and local knowledge into a
scientific assessment process.
Co-Chairs
- Cristian Samper
- Doris Capistrano
Technical Support
- Ciara Raudsepp-Hearne
WorldFish Center
Penang, Malaysia
- Marcus Lee
WorldFish Center
Penang, Malaysia