Transforming biodiversity governance? Indigenous peoples' contributions to the Convention on Biological Diversity

Nature and Landscape Conservation; Convention on Biological Diversity; Indigenous Peoples; local communities; participation; human rights; access and benefit-sharing; Nagoya Protocol; Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework

Abstract :

[en] This article reviews opportunities for, and selected outcomes of, the meaningful participation of Indigenous Peoples and local communities (IPLCs) in the processes of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). Meaningful participation is understood as a collaborative process based on the recognition of IPLCs and their contribution to biodiversity management. The CBD is currently the main instrument for global biodiversity governance, enjoying almost-universal application - with the notable exception of the USA. It arguably provides the most advanced framework for the participation of IPLCs among the multilateral environmental agreements. Following a discussion of challenges regarding concepts and terminology, we provide brief overviews of IPLCs' contributions to the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity and the evolution of the CBD framework to partially recognize these. We then focus on two case studies: the negotiation and adoption of the Nagoya Protocol on access to genetic resources and fair and equitable benefit-sharing; and the negotiation of the 2022 Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. On the basis of a literature review, content analysis of UN documents, and participant observation at CBD meetings, we combine legal and sociological analysis to find that early gains towards building collaborative spaces for IPLCs in CBD processes in the adoption of the Nagoya Protocol seemed to be receding in the negotiation of the Global Biodiversity Framework, until adoption of the final text which surprisingly integrated a strong rights-based approach, for the first time in the history of the CBD.

Disciplines :

European & international law
Political science, public administration & international relations
Sociology & social sciences

Author, co-author :

Parks, Louisa; School of International Studies, University of Trento, Italy

Tsioumani, Elissavet ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Cité

Language :

English

Title :

Transforming biodiversity governance? Indigenous peoples' contributions to the Convention on Biological Diversity

Publication date :

April 2023

Journal title :

Biological Conservation

ISSN :

0006-3207

Publisher :

Elsevier

Special issue title :

Ethics and practice of biodiversity science: how hidden moral assumptions impact conservation research and policy

Volume :

280

Pages :

109933

Peer reviewed :

Peer Reviewed verified by ORBi

Additional URL :

https://api.elsevier.com/content/article/PII:S0006320723000332?httpAccept=text/xml

Funding text :

The authors wish to thank the editors of this special issue, as well as two anonymous reviewers for their constructive and thoughtful engagement with the article. All errors and omissions remain our own. The authors both contributed equally to the writing of this article.

Available on ORBi :

since 27 June 2025

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