The possibility of establishing a United Nations-supported scientific intergovernmental body to address biodiversity loss and protect ecosystems is being discussed at a global conference which kicked off in Malaysia earlier this week, according to a U.N. press release.

Representatives from over 100 governments were in Putrajaya, near the capital Kuala Lumpur, through today to discuss creating a body similar to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), and the U.N. World Meteorological Organization (WMO).

Recommendations on the final day included one to carry out a preliminary ‘gap analysis’ on where the link between scientists and those that make policy decisions at a national, regional and global level might be strengthened.

The proposed Intergovernmental Platform or Panel on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) would be tasked with triggering debate, encouraging the formation of appropriate policies and elevating the issue in the global consciousness. However, the group would not have direct power to enforce its recommendations.

"Global GDP has more than doubled in the past quarter century," said Achim Steiner, executive director of the United Nations Environmental Programme. "In contrast, 60 percent of the world's ecosystems have been degraded or are being used in an unsustainable manner."