scholarly journals The biodiversity crisis in Canada: failures and challenges of federal and sub-national strategic and legal frameworks

FACETS ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. 1044-1068
Author(s):  
Justina C. Ray ◽  
Jaime Grimm ◽  
Andrea Olive
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Biodiversity Conservation ◽  
Biological Diversity ◽  
Integrated Approach ◽  
Legal Framework ◽  
Convention On Biological Diversity ◽  
Governance Capacity ◽  
Financial Investment ◽  
Economic Wealth ◽  
Biodiversity Crisis

Negative biodiversity trends are evident in Canada, in spite of its ecological and economic wealth and high governance capacity. We examined the current implementation of Canada’s national biodiversity strategy—the planning instrument to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity—through its existing legal framework. We did this by evaluating biodiversity-related strategies and plans and 201 federal, provincial, and territorial laws. We found that while most jurisdictions claim dedicated attention to biodiversity, there is little evidence of an integrated approach within provinces and territories and across the federation. Biodiversity conservation led by governments underscores the need for considerations of species and ecosystem services to be mainstreamed into economic and development decision-making. Key challenges to this include Canada’s unusual degree of decentralized constitutionally ascribed authority over natural assets and its historical and continued economic emphasis on extraction of natural resources—a conflict of interest for jurisdictions. Transitioning to scale-appropriate planning and integrated decision-making that can address the pressures and causes of biodiversity conservation in Canada will require transformative change. Law reform, while necessary, will not succeed unless accompanied by a whole-of-government approach, a shift to a bio-centric mindset, innovative governance (particularly Indigenous-led conservation), and federal leadership with strong levels of financial investment.

Using information on ecosystem services in Nepal to inform biodiversity conservation and local to national decision-making

Oryx ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 50 (1) ◽  
pp. 147-155 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ishana Thapa ◽  
Stuart H. M. Butchart ◽  
Hum Gurung ◽  
Alison J. Stattersfield ◽  
David H. L. Thomas ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Land Use ◽  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Biodiversity Conservation ◽  
Biological Diversity ◽  
National Level ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Local Context ◽  
Convention On Biological Diversity ◽  
Trade Offs

AbstractPolicy-makers are paying increasing attention to ecosystem services, given improved understanding that they underpin human well-being, and following their integration within the Aichi Targets of the Convention on Biological Diversity. Decision-makers need information on trends in biodiversity and ecosystem services but tools for assessing the latter are often expensive, technically demanding and ignore the local context. In this study we used a simple, replicable participatory assessment approach to gather information on ecosystem services at important sites for biodiversity conservation in Nepal, to feed into local and national decision-making. Through engaging knowledgeable stakeholders we assessed the services delivered by Nepal's 27 Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas, the pressures affecting services through impacts on land cover and land use, and the consequences of these for people. We found that these sites provide ecosystem services to beneficiaries at a range of scales but under current pressures the balance of services will change, with local communities incurring the greatest costs. The approach provided valuable information on the trade-offs between ecosystem services and between different people, developed the capacity of civil society to engage in decision-making at the local and national level, and provided digestible information for Nepal's government. We recommend this approach in other countries where there is a lack of information on the likely impacts of land-use change on ecosystem services and people.

scholarly journals JURIDICAL FRAMEWORK OF IMPLEMENTATION OF UN CONVENTIONS ON BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY (CBD) IN AZERBAIJAN REPUBLIC

2017 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 99-104
Author(s):  
Тургай Имамгулу оглы Гусейнов ◽  
Turgay Imamgulu ogly Guseynov
Keyword(s):  
Biodiversity Conservation ◽  
Biological Diversity ◽  
Legal Framework ◽  
Convention On Biological Diversity ◽  
National Strategy ◽  
National Plan ◽  
The Public ◽  
Criminal Sanctions ◽  
Preventive Actions ◽  
The Republic

The article deals with the study of the issues over the implementation of the provisions of the Convention on Biological Diversity, 1992 in the Azerbaijan Republic. National regulations and legal acts, aimed at realization of the mentioned Convention hereupon, are analyzed. The gaps existed in the legislation of the republic are identified. The intended measures on the provision of biological diversity to be fulfilled within the National strategy plans asserted by the Decree of the President of the Azerbaijan Republic are analyzed as well. Biodiversity conservation is not to be limited to the territory of individual states. It is necessary to proceed from the protected area, which sometimes may cover the territory of several states. These elements should be taken into account when forming the national legal framework and the implementation of the provisions of international agreements in the field of biodiversity conservation. The importance of active participation of each State in the preservation of biodiversity and, thus, protection of the environment as a whole. Naturally invaluable role here, and the public, and each one of us. All this requires improved national legal framework and institutional arrangements in this area. The fight for the preservation of biodiversity is achieved not only by the struggle with the consequences, by the application of administrative and criminal sanctions, but preventive actions to prevent them. An important role will be played by the National Plan, providing for comprehensive measures for the conservation of biodiversity.

scholarly journals Toward a More Expansive Discourse in a Changing World: An Analysis of Political Leaders’ Speeches on Biodiversity

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 2899
Author(s):  
Sang Hun Lee ◽  
Yi Hyun Kang ◽  
Rong Dai
Keyword(s):  
Biodiversity Conservation ◽  
Policy Process ◽  
Biological Diversity ◽  
Convention On Biological Diversity ◽  
Decision Making Process ◽  
Political Leaders ◽  
Host Countries ◽  
Global Pandemic ◽  
The Subject ◽  
High Level

Speeches delivered in the Conference of the Parties (COPs) to the Convention on Biological Diversity represent leading discourses about biodiversity conservation. The discourse shared by high-level politicians is especially influential in the financing and decision-making process of global biodiversity governance. However, the speeches given in the COPs have not been the subject of systematic analyses until now. This study analyzes the host countries’ speeches given at the six most recent COPs and investigates which discourses have been expressed in the speeches. The regulatory discourse that views nature as a resource was found to be the dominant discourse, while other discourses that view nature as a scientific object or a spiritual entity were represented only marginally. As the need for a transformational policy for biodiversity conservation is growing amid a global pandemic, it is essential to deepen our understanding of the dynamics and complexity of nature and reflect it in the policy process. This study suggests that more balanced discourse on biodiversity may earn broader audiences’ consensus on biodiversity conservation.

scholarly journals PROTECTION OF THE AFRICAN LION: A CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF THE CURRENT INTERNATIONAL LEGAL REGIME

2016 ◽  
Vol 19 ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samantha Watts
Keyword(s):  
Biological Diversity ◽  
Population Decline ◽  
Legal Protection ◽  
Legal Framework ◽  
Convention On Biological Diversity ◽  
Legal Regime ◽  
Protection Measures ◽  
African Lion ◽  
State Boundaries ◽  
African Lions

This article looks at the current international regime that pertains to the African lion, a species that needs adequate protection across its range (a range that does not adhere to state boundaries). This analysis comes at a time when threats such as habitat and prey loss, retaliatory killing, trophy hunting and trade, are all impacting the remaining populations of African lions. The species is in danger of rapid population decline and possible extinction in the near future. Two decades ago there was an abundance of African lions, roughly 100 000, on the continent. But at present there are less than 32 000, while some believe there to be as little as 15 000 left. This decline is mainly due to the threats noted above. African lions are currently listed as "vulnerable" on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species. This listing is being contested by commentators who believe that the species now requires an "endangered" status. African lion populations, and the threats to the species, extend across state boundaries. Therefore, international law is of particular importance in providing conservation and protection measures to the species. Creating conservation obligations at a global level allows for more uniform action, implementation and enforcement of legislation at regional and local levels. Therefore this article looks at each threat to African lion populations in detail and then assesses the international legal regime pertaining to each of these threats, and whether that regime is adequate. The Convention on Biological Diversity, Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species, Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora and the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance are but some of the international instruments that are analysed. This article outlines the arguments that the international legal framework is not acceptable for the protection of the species, and addresses both the positive and negative aspects of this regime. It is found that the international legal regime for the African lion is in fact not effective in achieving the protection and survival of the species. Some changes are recommended, and the best way forward through an international legal lens is outlined. The security and viability of the African lion is uncertain, and legal protection of the species needs to be clear to start ensuring their survival in the future. With the increase in threats to the species and African lions already regionally endangered in some parts of Africa, it is obvious that some legal changes need to be made to ensure greater protection of the African lion at an international level.

scholarly journals Bridging fisheries management and biodiversity conservation norms: potential and challenges of balancing harvest in ecosystem-based frameworks

2015 ◽  
Vol 73 (6) ◽  
pp. 1659-1667 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. M. Garcia ◽  
J. Rice ◽  
A. Charles
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Fisheries Management ◽  
Biological Diversity ◽  
Population Level ◽  
System Level ◽  
Convention On Biological Diversity ◽  
Management Decision ◽  
Size Spectrum ◽  
Ecosystem Structure ◽  
Management Decision Making

Abstract Balanced harvesting has been proposed as a way for fisheries management to achieve the requirements of both the Law of the Sea Convention (LOSC)—to maintain stocks at the level at which they could produce MSY—and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)—to maintain ecosystem structure and functioning. This paper examines these requirements and briefly presents four system-level relationships (spectra), representing ecosystem structures that might guide management decision-making aiming to meet both requirements. These spectra would fit in the widely accepted frameworks of the Ecosystem Approach enshrined in the CBD and adopted by FAO for Fisheries. A size spectrum, relating biomass to body length, is used as an example to illustrate its potential to support management decision-making—much like present stock-based harvest control rules—in more ecosystem-compliant fishing strategies at a sector or ecosystem level, as a complement to those currently used at a stock/population level.

scholarly journals Reforming the approach of the Global Environmental Facility to biodiversity conservation

Oryx ◽  
1994 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 101-106
Author(s):  
Russell A. Mittermeier ◽  
Ian A. Bowles
Keyword(s):  
Biodiversity Conservation ◽  
Biological Diversity ◽  
Environmental Problem ◽  
Convention On Biological Diversity ◽  
Ecological Processes ◽  
Global Environmental Facility ◽  
Earth Summit ◽  
Funding Mechanism ◽  
The Earth ◽  
Global Environmental

Biodiversity – a measure of the wealth of species, ecosystems and ecological processes that make up our living planet –received public prominence as a result of the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in June 1992. The loss of biodiversity, say the authors, is the greatest environmental problem the world faces but the issue has not been given the attention it deserves. With the emergence of the Global Environmental Facility in 1990 came the chance to fund biodiversity conservation on a unprecedented scale and in 1992 the GEF was adopted as the interim funding mechanism for the Convention on Biological Diversity signed at the Earth Summit. Three years after its foundation, the authors of this paper suggest that the GEF has to be reformed radically if it is to become an effective force in conservation. Their conclusions are based on Conservation International's experience with the GEF over the last 3 years in more than 10 countries.

scholarly journals The ecosystem-service chain and the biological diversity crisis

2010 ◽  
Vol 365 (1537) ◽  
pp. 31-39 ◽  
Author(s):  
Harold A. Mooney
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Service ◽  
Biological Diversity ◽  
Natural Capital ◽  
Integrated Approach ◽  
Convention On Biological Diversity ◽  
Drivers Of Change ◽  
Service Chain ◽  
Political Processes ◽  
Near Term ◽  
Future Loss

The losses that are being incurred of the Earth's biological diversity, at all levels, are now staggering. The trend lines for future loss are steeply upward as new adverse drivers of change come into play. The political processes for matching this crisis are now inadequate and the science needs to address this issue are huge and slow to fulfil, even though strong advances have been made. A more integrated approach to evaluating biodiversity in terms that are meaningful to the larger community is needed that can provide understandable metrics of the consequences to society of the losses that are occurring. Greater attention is also needed in forecasting likely diversity-loss scenarios in the near term and strategies for alleviating detrimental consequences. At the international level, the Convention on Biological Diversity must be revisited to make it more powerful to meet the needs that originally motivated its creation. Similarly, at local and regional levels, an ecosystem-service approach to conservation can bring new understanding to the value, and hence the need for protection, of the existing natural capital.

The Protection and Sustainable Exploitation of Genetic Resources of the High Seas from the European Union's Perspective

2009 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 333-341
Author(s):  
Serge Beslier
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Resources ◽  
Legal Status ◽  
Biological Diversity ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Integrated Approach ◽  
Benefit Sharing ◽  
Convention On Biological Diversity ◽  
Marine Biodiversity ◽  
Near Future ◽  
High Seas

AbstractThis paper examines how marine biodiversity and genetic resources in the high seas can be protected and whether their exploitation should be regulated. As to their protection, it raises the question whether existing sectoral approaches should continue or to create a new mechanism based on an integrated approach. In accordance with the European Union's position, the latter is favoured, while acknowledging that several States still have reservations and question the need for new legal instruments. Concerning the necessity of a regulatory scheme governing their exploitation, existing mechanisms under the Law of the Sea Convention and the Convention on Biological Diversity are examined and it is concluded that they are not applicable or do not provide for specific rules on this issue. It is further presumed that the resulting absence of a clear framework is acceptable because the potential of commercial exploitation is still uncertain, so that there will only be scientific research without vital negative impact on the marine environment in the near future. It is suggested that the international community should rather focus on defining the legal status of genetic resources and clarifying whether they belong to the common heritage of mankind and require a benefit-sharing system, as proposed by developing countries.

scholarly journals Scaling Biodiversity Conservation Efforts: An Examination of the Relationship Between Global Biodiversity Targets and Local Plans

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer Rae Pierce ◽  
Sabrina Drill ◽  
Michael D. Halder ◽  
Mika Mei Jia Tan ◽  
Anushri Tiwari ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Biodiversity Conservation ◽  
Biological Diversity ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Global Scale ◽  
Local Scale ◽  
Convention On Biological Diversity ◽  
Spheres Of Influence ◽  
Global Biodiversity ◽  
The Relationship

Cities have a critical role to play in meeting global-scale biodiversity targets. Urban socio-ecological systems connect human and ecological well-being. The outsized impact of cities reaches well-beyond their geographic borders through cultural, ecological, and economic interactions. Although cities account for just 2% of the earth's surface, they host over half of the human population and are responsible for 75% of consumption. The Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and others have acknowledged the important role cities can play in achieving global targets. In response, at least 110 cities have produced plans focused on biodiversity, but we do not know the extent to which these city plans align with global targets or what role they play in achieving these targets. Here, we explore the relationship between global biodiversity conservation targets and local biodiversity plans to identify how elements at the two scales align or diverge. We compared the CBD Strategic Plan 2011–2020 (Aichi Targets) with 44 local biodiversity plans (often called LBSAPs) from cities around the world. We analyzed more than 2,800 actions from the local plans to measure the relationship with these global targets. Our results show how local approaches to biodiversity conservation can inform post-2020 global frameworks to improve coordination between global and local scale processes. We identify actions particular to the local scale that are critical to conserve global biodiversity and suggest a framework for improved coordination between actors at different scales that address their respective roles and spheres of influence.

scholarly journals Konflikte um das "grüne Gold der Gene"

2002 ◽  
Vol 32 (129) ◽  
pp. 631-652
Author(s):  
Christoph Görg ◽  
Ulrich Brand
Keyword(s):  
Critical State ◽  
International Institutions ◽  
Biological Diversity ◽  
Legal Framework ◽  
State Theory ◽  
Benefit Sharing ◽  
Convention On Biological Diversity ◽  
Nation State ◽  
Political Processes

In the last years an international legal framework evolved m the field of biodiversity, its protection and use. Accesses to genetic resources and mtellectual property nghts for developed commodities are fundamental for dominant actors and therefore these two aspects are central in political processes. Other aspects as nghts of mdlgenous peoples or benefit sharing have much less importance. Central institutions to regulate the highly contested issues are the Convention on Biological Diversity, the TRIPS agreement m the wro as well as the FAO which are not at all coherent in their policies. Agamst the background of regulation and critical state theory the article examines the contradictory role of the nation-state and international institutions in international biodiversity politics and examines central conflicts lines. Weaker actors try to politicise the struggle under the concept of "biopiracy" accusing dominant actors of an illegitimate appropriation of biodiversity. Fmally, some preconditions of "democratic biodiversity politics" are outlined.

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