ABSTRACT
The term “biodiversity,” though used widely and liberally by researchers and practitioners, refers to a complex and under-researched environmental policy area. Deforestation, habitat destruction, wildlife conservation, overfishing, species extinction, and the introduction of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) have all necessitated the adoption of a biodiversity regime at the UN level in the form of the Biodiversity Convention of 1992 and subsequent Biosafety Protocol of 2000, as well as various ad hoc working groups and thematic programmes.1 This chapter explores the different aspects involved in the biodiversity debate and identifies key actors and their interests involved. It also provides an overview of the UN policy to date and highlights unresolved issues that are likely to occupy stakeholders in the near future. Ultimately, biodiversity is positioned at the policy periphery and is not integrated properly into political and economic paradigms of societies. This neglect is somewhat surprising, considering that biodiversity involves – in true “think global act local” fashion – both local communities and intergovernmental organizations such as the UN, the EU, and the WTO. Biodiversity has caused much controversy over the years and continues to throw up a number of economic, political, and ethical questions.
