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The United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity ('CBD') and its implementing agreement, the Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from Their Utilization to the Convention on Biological Diversity ('Nagoya Protocol'), provide for access and benefit sharing ('ABS') of genetic resources. This article considers whether genetic resources, like bacteria, plants and animals, and their parts and components, can be both property (possession objects representing economic interests of owners) and culture and heritage (objects, ideas, stories and so on, being symbolic of an identity) under the CBD and Nagoya Protocol ABS arrangements, and then what this might mean for possible claims for repatriation. Showcasing Australian laws, the article concludes that conceiving genetic resources as culture and heritage is important for finding creative and effective solutions to fair and equitable benefit sharing for Indigenous Peoples and local communities including repatriation, as well as possible ways forward in addressing the apparently intractable malaise over benefit sharing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Protected and conserved areas (PCAs) are key ecosystem management tools for conserving biodiversity and sustaining ecosystem services and social cobenefits. As countries adopt a 30% target for protection of land and sea under the Global Biodiversity Framework of the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity, a critical question emerging is, which 30%? A risk‐based answer to this question is that the 30% that returns the greatest reductions in risks of species extinction and ecosystem collapse should be protected. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List protocols provide practical methods for assessing these risks. All species, including humans, depend on the integrity of ecosystems for their well‐being and survival. Africa is strategically important for ecosystem management due to convergence of high ecosystem diversity, intense pressures, and high levels of human dependency on nature. We reviewed the outcomes (e.g., applications of ecosystem red‐list assessments to protected‐area design, conservation planning, and management) of a symposium at the inaugural African Protected Areas Congress convened to discuss roles of the IUCN Red List of Ecosystems in the design and management of PCAs. Recent progress was made in ecosystem assessment, with 920 ecosystem types assessed against the IUCN Red List criteria across 21 countries. Although these ecosystems spanned a diversity of environments across the continent, the greatest thematic gaps were for freshwater, marine, and subterranean realms, and large geographic gaps existed in North Africa and parts of West and East Africa. Assessment projects were implemented by a diverse community of government agencies, nongovernmental organizations, and researchers. The assessments have influenced policy and management by informing extensions to and management of formal protected area networks supporting decision‐making for sustainable development, and informing ecosystem conservation and threat abatement within boundaries of PCAs and in surrounding landscapes and seascapes. We recommend further integration of risk assessments in environmental policy and enhanced investment in ecosystem red‐list assessment to fill current gaps. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Other effective area-based conservation measures (OECMs) have been a feature of global biodiversity targets since 2010 (Aichi Targets, Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework), although the concept has only relatively recently been formally defined. Although uptake has been limited to date, there is much interest in identifying OECMs to contribute to the target of protecting at least 30% of terrestrial, freshwater and ocean areas by 2030, in conjunction with protected areas. Australia has a long history of protected area development across public, private and Indigenous lands, but consideration of OECMs in policy has recently begun in that country. We review principles proposed by the Australian Government for OECMs in Australia and highlight where these deviate from global guidance or established Australian area-based policy. We examined various land use categories and conservation mechanisms to determine the likelihood of these categories/mechanisms meeting the OECM definition, with a particular focus on longevity of the mechanism to sustain biodiversity. We identified that the number of categories/mechanisms that would meet the OECM definition is relatively small. A number of potentially perverse outcomes in classifying an area as an OECM are highlighted in order to guide proactive policy and program design to prevent such outcomes occurring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses the need for transformative politics of nature in Canada, focusing on biodiversity loss and climate change. It highlights the decline of the monarch butterfly population and the urgency of conservation efforts. The article emphasizes the interrelationship between humans and the environment and calls for transformative shifts in governance, economic systems, and knowledge systems. It discusses Canada's conservation goals and commitments, as well as the challenges in achieving them. The article concludes by emphasizing the need for transformative change and the potential leverage points for initiating such change. The document titled "wg2020-03-03-en.pdf" is a report from the Convention on Biological Diversity, providing an overview of the progress made in implementing the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020. The report highlights achievements and challenges faced by different countries in conserving biodiversity and achieving the Aichi Biodiversity Targets, emphasizing the need for increased efforts and collaboration to address the ongoing loss of biodiversity. [Extracted from the article]

This article is a commemoration of the life and work of Rudolph C. Rÿser, who was born in Elma, Washington in 1946. Rÿser was of Cree/Oneida and German-Swiss descent and grew up in the Cowlitz Indian culture. He dedicated over fifty years to working in Indian Affairs domestically and internationally, advocating for indigenous self-determination. Rÿser was a philosopher, author, educator, musician, and chef, and he made significant contributions to policies and laws affecting American Indians and indigenous peoples worldwide. He passed away leaving behind a legacy of leadership, mentorship, and activism. [Extracted from the article]

Land use change (LUC) is recognized as one of the major drivers of the global loss of biodiversity and represents a major threat to ecosystems. Deforestation through LUC is mainly driven by fire regimes, logging, farming (cropping and ranching), and illegal mining, which are closely linked with environmental management policies. Efficient land management strategies, however, require reliable and robust information. Land monitoring is one such approach that can provide critical information to coordinate policymaking at the global, regional, and local scales, and enable a programmed implementation of shared commitments under the Rio Conventions: the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), and Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Here we use Peru as a case study to evaluate how a land monitoring system enables environmental policy decisions which appear in the country's international commitment reports. Specifically, we synthesize how effective the ongoing land monitoring system has been in responding to current and future environmental challenges; and how improvements in land monitoring can assist in the achievement of national commitments under the Rio Conventions. We find that Peruvian policies and commitments need to be improved to be consistent with the 1.5 °C temperature limit of the Paris agreement. Regarding the Aichi targets, Peru has achieved 17% land area with sustainable management; however, the funding deficit is a great challenge. Even though Peru commits to reducing GHG emissions by reducing LUC and improving agricultural and land use forestry practices, it needs policy improvements in relation to land tenure, governance, and equity. Potential explanations for the observed shortcomings include the fragmentation and duplication of government roles across sectors at both a national and regional scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Patterns in phenotypic and genotypic diversity within many species are becoming increasingly apparent, although there remain many species for which such patterns have yet to be described adequately.Fishes from recently glaciated ecosystems are likely to be particularly rich in intraspecific diversity, yet current conservation management strategies are, in many parts of the world, particularly in Europe, conventionally and overwhelmingly focused on species, regardless of competing species concepts, and appropriate policies for managing diversity at a sub‐specific level still have to be developed.Occasional attempts to protect certain vulnerable ecotypes and proposed alternative units of conservation (e.g. 'Pragmatic Species' or 'Evolutionarily Significant Units') reinforce the conventional primacy of contemporary expressed patterns of variation.Intraspecific phenotypic and genotypic patterns are ultimately the result of complex processes of divergence; conservation approaches that focus on the products of evolution largely ignore the processes that generate and maintain those patterns. Policies that acknowledge the continuation of evolution, the derivation of novel diversity over often very short time spans and the role of environment in initiating and perpetuating these processes are poorly integrated into management strategy.To address possible deficits, where intraspecific diversity is not addressed in management practice, we believe it to be important first to characterize hidden genetic and phenotypic diversity, which may intimate eco‐evolutionary processes, initially among species of high conservation status. A second step should be to use an approach to intraspecific diversity that illuminates the ultimate processes and mechanisms that bring about that diversity, which also concedes the central role of the environment and affords adequate protection to the ecosystems that drive these processes, such as the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) Ecosystems approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Species extinctions and ecological degradation are accelerating to an unprecedented degree in human history, emphasizing the imperative need to understand the drivers of ecological degradation for designing effective conservation policies. This paper aims to provide an overview of China's biodiversity landscape over the past three decades since the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity in 1992. We begin by reviewing several key challenges to biodiversity conservation, including habitat change, air pollution, and climate change. Next, we summarize China's multifaceted approaches to ecosystem preservation, encompassing laws, regulations, policies, and noteworthy conservation events. Furthermore, the paper explores avenues for future research, shedding light on potential stressors and solutions in the realm of biodiversity conservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Indonesia has ratified international environmental agreements such as the Marine Pollution Convention (MARPOL) 1973/1978, the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) 1982, the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary. Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal (Basel) 1989, United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (UNCBD) 1992, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) 1992, Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) Convention, 2001 and several other international agreements. The international agreement has also laid down norms related to plastic waste in the ocean, although they are very limited. For Indonesia, after the ratification of the international agreement, follow-up steps are needed from legislative, administrative, and institutional aspects to funding through laws and regulations. On the other hand, the process of negotiating international agreements regarding plastic waste in the sea is still ongoing. Therefore, it will also be seen how Indonesia's role and the relationship between the draft zero draft international plastic waste agreement and existing international agreements. This article aims to find out and examine the existence of existing and future international agreements and how they affect the national and regional levels, especially those related to plastic waste in the sea. Therefore, various ratification processes, the formation of laws and regulations, institutions, administration, funding, and other actions related to the issue of plastic waste in the sea in Indonesia will be studied. In general, this article has shown that in Indonesia, there are already regulations to implement international agreements both ratified and synchronized with the draft Global Plastic Treaty that is being made. The conclusion shows that the Government of Indonesia has a strong commitment to the existence of international agreements related to plastic waste in the sea. The recommendation or suggestion is that existing or ongoing international agreements should be able to provide benefits for the welfare of the Indonesian people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

December 2023 will mark the 50th anniversary of the passage of the 1973 Endangered Species Act of the United States. This landmark Act by the US Congress was made possible through strong bipartisan political cooperation on environment protection, capping off a string of progressive legislative victories that would set the tone for US environmental policy at local, state, and federal government levels for decades. Beyond its domestic significance, the 1973 Endangered Species Act had a clear and recognizable impact on global environmentalism by influencing and inspiring endangered species legislation in other nations as well as the 1992 Convention on Biological Diversity. At the time of its passage, the US Endangered Species Act (ESA) was far and away the most comprehensive piece of legislation ever enacted to halt and reverse rising rates of species extinction and biodiversity loss. Other nations emulated the ESA in past and present endangered species laws and regulations, even as late as 2019, leading to the eventual emergence of a set of global standard practices for species and habitat protections that endure to this day, practices with clear American roots. This study explores the degree to which the past and present endangered species laws of other English-speaking jurisdictions borrowed from or mimicked the US Endangered Species Act in purpose, style, form, and function. Further analysis is undertaken to reveal the extent to which Japan's own endangered species protection statute is likely influenced by the US ESA. The ESA's influence on global environmental norms and wildlife protection practices is first explored through the lens of international relations theory, in particular the 'constructivist' school of thought that helps explain recognized patterns in global environmental cooperation. The study demonstrates how the 1973 Endangered Species Act essentially became a template for other national and provincial governments to model and even mimic when these governments were designing and enacting their own endangered species management protection programs. Historically, the ESA's passage and its emulation by other polities are indicative of the degree to which the United States has impacted and continues to greatly impact and influence global wildlife law and policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the contested status of digital sequence information within the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity negotiations, particularly regarding benefit sharing and data sovereignty. It examines how microbiome research, specifically the analysis of human stool samples, raises complex ethical and legal challenges concerning the commodification of biological material and the governance of bioinformation, reflecting broader issues of postgenomic science.

This research analyzes the implementation of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Andorran cultural policy. The article contributes to the academic field of cultural sustainability and cultural policy, applying a mixed method on a country's case study. A content analysis of the White Paper on Culture, a survey addressed to the main Andorran cultural policymakers and a semi-structured interview with the Andorran Minister of Culture have been performed. A new model of analyzing the extent to which cultural policies comply with SDGs in cultural policies is proposed, with the aim that it might be implemented in other countries. The results show that, despite the fact that SDGs are not yet explicitly mentioned in Andorran cultural policy, experts aim to promote the UN 2030 Sustainable Agenda as a priority nationwide. The novelty of this research rests on the use of Sustainable Development Goals' indicators as a code of analysis and as a specific perspective and new approach to evaluating the alignment of cultural sustainability and cultural policies to the UN 2030 Sustainable Agenda. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework sets out key actions for biodiversity conservation worldwide in the coming period, including integrating biodiversity and its multiple values into economic and social activities. As a party to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), China has made unremitting efforts to promote the biodiversity mainstreaming, integrating biodiversity conservation into top-level national decision-making and major strategic planning, and integrating it into the policies, norms and assessment mechanisms of ecological environments, natural resources and other relevant industries. Different functional departments, scientific research institutions, enterprises, social organizations and other organizations have carried out extensive and in-depth researches based on multiple aspects of biodiversity conservation and management. Benchmark the objectives of Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and refer the advanced experience of biodiversity mainstreaming practices in other countries, we discussed and analyzed the conceptual connotation of biodiversity mainstreaming, summarized the practice and stage results of biodiversity mainstreaming in China. Then focusing on different actors including governments, enterprises and the public, we propose the implementation path of promoting biodiversity mainstreaming in an all-round way for China in the new era, including: (1) To import a consistent action framework which is mitigation protection hierarchy with four steps, contains avoidance, mitigation, recovery, and offset; (2) To give play to the leading role of government governance, and to integrate biodiversity conservation into government governance systems and industrial development layout with the help of various planning and policy tools; (3) To support enterprises to take joint actions and internalize ecological and environmental hazards into business operations which can promote sustainable production and consumption; (4) To raise public awareness to promote broad participation in biodiversity conservation, establish a system of public participation in biodiversity conservation through various publicity and education actions, to guide the public to practice a green and low-carbon lifestyle, and to translate into real benefits of biodiversity and climate mitigation and improvement. By taking the above actions, we will strive to integrate biodiversity into the policy mechanisms of government departments at all levels and social production and life practices, so as to provide references for improving biodiversity governance decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Under the leadership of the Chinese presidency, the second part of the 15th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) adopted 62 decisions, in particular Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework(KM-GBF), which is based on the theory of transformative changes. KM-GBF, its achievements, gaps, and lessons learned, and the experience and achievements of other relevant multilateral environmental agreements, sets out an ambitious plan to implement broad-based action to bring about a transformation in our societies' relationship with biodiversity by 2030, and draws a new blueprint for global biodiversity governance. This paper provides an interpretation of the three core targets of the framework — the “3030 target” for protected areas, resource mobilisation, and digital sequence information of genetic resources, a brief introduction to the relevant decisions to ensure the implementation of the framework, and recommendations for future conservation actions in China: (1) To strengthen the mainstreaming of biodiversity conservation. Revision of China's Biodiversity Conservation Strategy and Action Plan(2011-2030) is an opportunity to involve the whole government and society in the process and to take action to promote the goals and targets of the KM-GBF; (2) To further develop detailed conservation plans, clarify the scopes, purposes and management measures of conservation areas, and implement responsible authorities and specific measures for implementing the plans. Researches on the Other Effective area-based Conservation Measures (OECMs) are needed to incorporate into the management system for biodiversity conservation; (3) To develop an operational indicator system and monitoring plan in accordance with the monitoring requirements of the framework targets; (4) To continue to strengthen awareness and education on biodiversity conservation, raise public awareness and attention to biodiversity conservation, and promote sustainable production and sustainable consumption in society as a whole; (5) To promote international cooperation vigorously to explore and promote Nature-based Solutions on a larger scale, and find pathways for economic and social development that have positive and beneficial effects on nature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The International Law Commission (Commission), a United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) expert body mandated to work on the codification and progressive development of international law, also included the concept in its work on the topic of the Protection of the Atmosphere. The concept was later adopted in 1992 under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) (UN, [36]) and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) (UN, [37]), resulting in CCH regimes within these laws (Taylor, [27], pp. 315-316). With respect to climate change law in particular, states reaffirmed the CCH regime within it through the 2015 Paris Agreement (UN, 2015) and 2021 Glasgow Climate Pact (UN, [46]). In the midst of economic, scientific, and technological developments, international law has been evolving in a manner which requires the management of different fields of discipline and international cooperation to address cross-border challenges. [Extracted from the article]

Indigenous and local communities (ILCs) are special right-holders under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). Since 2010, the CBD parties have been called upon to adopt the terminology 'Indigenous Peoples and local communities' (IPLCs) to better reflect the international human rights development, especially with respect to Indigenous Peoples. The CBD parties agreed to this terminological change in 2014. The very recent CBD decisions and voluntary guidelines have reflected this commitment. This analysis suggests that the inclusion of the term 'Indigenous Peoples' in the CBD framework may seem like a victory for Indigenous Peoples' rights advocacy, but it really is not because important human rights implications have been blocked via complicated restrictions on treaty interpretation. Instead, it indicates a growing divergence in the understanding of the rights of IPLCs in international law. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Franklin ([30]) wrote, "There is also a critical need to integrate biodiversity objectives into management of all our landscapes because preservation of selected tracts of land, even at the largest scale possible, will not by itself achieve the desired goal of maintaining Earth's biodiversity." Recognizing the complex socio-economic nature of the biodiversity crisis, this commentary proposes the expansion of indigenous territories and protected areas, the establishment of a global biodiversity monitoring network, and the training of a new generation of translational ecologists, as potential pathways toward a more promising future. Keywords: conservation outcomes; historical perspective; translational ecology; tropical biodiversity EN conservation outcomes historical perspective translational ecology tropical biodiversity 729 736 8 07/11/23 20230701 NES 230701 This commentary examines the dynamics of tropical conservation science, the translation of scientific insights into practical conservation actions, and the resulting conservation outcomes over the last 35 years, using Biodiversity (Wilson & Peters, 1988) as a point of reference. Biodiversity (Wilson & Peters, 1988) revisited: How has tropical conservation science changed in the last 35 years?. [Extracted from the article]

The article discusses the risk of non-native fish species becoming invasive in Lake Taal, Philippines, due to climate change. It reports that the case study identified several species with high invasiveness risks, prompting the adoption of a decision-support tool for managing invasive aquatic species. It emphasizes the importance of a comprehensive management strategy to prevent invasiveness and mitigate its impacts.

The country is also home to at least 22,000 insect species, over 1000 bird species, 1000 fish species, 247 mammal species and 123 reptile species. The IVI was given as: (2) Graph HT ht where a = species frequency, b = sum of all species frequencies, c = number of individuals of a species, d = total number of individual species, and q = total quadrats in which the species occur. According to Nigeria's First National Biodiversity Report (Federal Republic of Nigeria [7]), the country's biodiversity endowment includes >7895 identified plant species in 2215 genera and 338 families. Nigeria has an action plan, the Second National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (2016-2020) (NBSAP; Federal Republic of Nigeria [8]) which outlines a multi-sectoral approach to mitigate biodiversity loss. [Extracted from the article]

Urban ecosystems provide diverse habitats for plants and animals. Policies can protect these ecosystems. To do this, policy frameworks need robust datasets to monitor and report on trends. Citizen science (CS) projects can make a valuable contribution by helping to build, refine, and supplement datasets. The overall aim of this study was to identify and characterize the contribution of CS projects to urban biodiversity monitoring and conservation frameworks in Germany. To gain an overview of the CS landscape in relation to urban biodiversity, we first examined German project platforms and were able to identify a geographical concentration in Berlin. We then focused on the contribution of CS to biodiversity monitoring in Berlin. We created an online questionnaire and conducted interviews with 22 Berlin-based CS project coordinators. In particular, we asked: How does their CS project contribute to the monitoring and conservation of urban biodiversity? What is the type of citizen engagement? What are the objectives of their CS projects, and what are their challenges? What are the outputs of their CS projects, and how do they publish their data? Finally, what is their knowledge of global, national, and local conservation frameworks? Our findings show that CS projects in Berlin are making a meaningful contribution to biodiversity monitoring. However, there is considerable potential for development, particularly in terms of awareness of policy frameworks and the sharing of data. We recommend increasing opportunities for exchange between policymakers and practitioners, and creating interfaces for data sharing to unlock the potential of CS projects for urban biodiversity conservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article critically examines the implementation of the Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit Sharing under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) through China’s Draft Regulation (2017). The Draft Regulation is still in draft form, but it definitely breaks new ground by establishing the most comprehensive piece of legislation for access and benefit-sharing (ABS) in China. Nevertheless, what is surprising is the absence of rigorous analysis of this ground-breaking legislation. In an attempt to fill the literature gap, while referring to the major provisions of the Nagoya Protocol, this article seeks to investigate how far the Draft Regulation (2017) in China is meeting the requirements of the Nagoya Protocol, identify its normative gaps and figure out what needs to be done in giving full effect to the obligations of the Nagoya Protocol. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and its implications for Indigenous Peoples' rights and territories. The article highlights the three objectives of the CBD, which are to conserve biodiversity, promote its sustainable use, and ensure the equitable sharing of benefits arising from its utilization.

The article provides an answer to a question regarding the translocation of African cheetahs to India for conservation purposes, raising concerns about the scientific basis, genetic risks, and sustainability of the project.

In the case of Divya Pharmacy v Union of India, the Uttarakhand High Court in India provided an innovative interpretation of the concept of access and benefit‐sharing by ruling that an Indian company, having no foreign participation, is mandated to undertake fair and equitable benefit‐sharing under the Biological Diversity Act 2002, India. The court employed a purposive interpretation, relying on the provisions of the Convention on Biological Diversity and its Nagoya Protocol. This article critically explores the Divya Pharmacy judgement, arguing that where a domestic statute makes a specific exemption in favour of domestic entities articulating a clear legislative intention, the judiciary should have engaged with constitutional provisions and environmental principles, which are part of domestic laws rather than relying exclusively on international treaty provisions to bring domestic entities under the purview of fair and equitable benefit‐sharing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Measuring connectivity is key to track progress toward broad conservation goals, such as the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity's proposed Post‐2020 Global Biodiversity Framework. The framework includes an area‐based target for the protection of 30% of lands and seas globally—through well‐connected systems of protected areas. Although the field of connectivity science has grown rapidly, limited progress has been made in tracking conservation connectivity in practice. This is in part due to the lack of a standardizing framework to clarify different purposes, approaches, and datasets—particularly in differentiating a metric from its application within a broader connectivity framework—as well as a benchmark to quantitatively compare alternative approaches. To address this science‐practice gap, we developed a novel metric of connectivity called the Protected Network metric (ProNet). ProNet is designed to assess the structural connectivity of a protected area network in a way that can be easily described, clearly communicated, and rapidly computed at high resolution. We evaluated how ProNet adheres to fundamental conservation science principles using a library of hypothetical landscapes, compared it to two commonly used existing connectivity metrics, and demonstrated its performance in assessing connectivity for a set of real‐world landscapes selected across the gradient of human modification. More broadly, ProNet is a powerful tool to galvanize emerging connectivity conservation as a countermeasure to increasing fragmentation of global ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasingly the importance of Indigenous participation is acknowledged as central to effective biodiversity conservation. Traditional management emphasizes the importance of a holistic, integrated approach to safeguard species and ecological communities of cultural significance. This is discordant with many instruments for biodiversity conservation. Indigenous Australians have consistently lobbied for domestic laws to be amended to establish comanagement as the preferred approach to managing significant species and ecological communities – an approach that aligns with international obligations such as the Convention on Biological Diversity and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. We describe amendments to Australia's biodiversity legislation and the use of biocultural indicators that would support Traditional management of Culturally Significant Entities (species and ecological communities), and in turn, assist Australia to effectively conserve biodiversity and meet international obligations. The ongoing challenge will be in empowering Indigenous peoples and their governance structures to implement enduring change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Boreal caribou require large areas of undisturbed habitat for persistence. They are listed as threatened with the risk of extinction in Canada because of landscape changes induced by human activities and resource extraction. Here we ask: Can the protection of habitat for boreal caribou help Canada meet its commitments under the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity and United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change? We identified hotspots of high conservation value within the distribution of boreal caribou based on: (1) three measures of biodiversity for at risk species (species richness, unique species and taxonomic diversity); (2) climate refugia or areas forecasted to remain unchanged under climate change; and, (3) areas of high soil carbon that could add to Canada's greenhouse gas emissions if released into the atmosphere. We evaluated the overlap among hotspot types and how well hotspots were represented in Canada's protected and conserved areas network. While hotspots are widely distributed across the boreal caribou distribution, with nearly 80% of the area falling within at least one hotspot type, only 3% of the distribution overlaps three or more hotspots. Moreover, the protected and conserved areas network only captures about 10% of all hotspots within the boreal caribou distribution. While the protected and conserved areas network adequately represents hotspots with high numbers of at risk species, areas occupied by unique species, as well as the full spectrum of areas occupied by different taxa, are underrepresented. Climate refugia and soil carbon hotspots also occur at lower percentages than expected. These findings illustrate the potential co-benefits of habitat protection for caribou to biodiversity and ecosystem services and suggest caribou may be a good proxy for future protected areas planning and for developing effective conservation strategies in regional assessments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

INSIGHTS ECOLOGY Land abandonment and rural depopulation are accelerating globally. Additionally, few attempts have been made to integrate biodiversity data collected on abandoned land, compiled from global databases such as BioTIME, and obtained from land abandonment maps or to incorporate abandonment in biodiversity scenarios. [Extracted from the article]

The article offers information related to conservation of biodiversity and ecosystem services to communities. It discusses the outcomes of achieving some target for terrestrial biodiversity conservation, climate change mitigation, nutrient regulation and the possibility expansion of the protected area network.

The United Nations Decade of Ecosystem Restoration is an opportunity for States to advance the development of substantive and qualitative international law obligations for conducting restoration activities. This will help countries move beyond the more quantitative target‐driven approach that currently focuses international commitments on the percentage of degraded areas that have to be restored. In this paper, we argue for two pathways for States to accelerate and pursue international obligations to undertake ecological restoration. Firstly, we advocate for the development of a new international legal principle on ecological restoration, adding to existing international environmental law principles such as the prevention principle, and aiming at achieving the highest level of recovery possible. Secondly, we advocate to utilize available mechanisms through the 1992 Convention on Biological Diversity and create a new protocol that will spell out a high ambition level for ecological restoration and a legal basis for adopting generally accepted rules and standards for restoration. The voluntary SER Principles and Standards can play an important role in the development of the legal principle on ecological restoration and standards of best practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The two most urgent and interlinked environmental challenges humanity faces are climate change and biodiversity loss. We are entering a pivotal decade for both the international biodiversity and climate change agendas with the sharpening of ambitious strategies and targets by the Convention on Biological Diversity and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Within their respective Conventions, the biodiversity and climate interlinked challenges have largely been addressed separately. There is evidence that conservation actions that halt, slow or reverse biodiversity loss can simultaneously slow anthropogenic mediated climate change significantly. This review highlights conservation actions which have the largest potential for mitigation of climate change. We note that conservation actions have mainly synergistic benefits and few antagonistic trade‐offs with climate change mitigation. Specifically, we identify direct co‐benefits in 14 out of the 21 action targets of the draft post‐2020 global biodiversity framework of the Convention on Biological Diversity, notwithstanding the many indirect links that can also support both biodiversity conservation and climate change mitigation. These relationships are context and scale‐dependent; therefore, we showcase examples of local biodiversity conservation actions that can be incentivized, guided and prioritized by global objectives and targets. The close interlinkages between biodiversity, climate change mitigation, other nature's contributions to people and good quality of life are seldom as integrated as they should be in management and policy. This review aims to re‐emphasize the vital relationships between biodiversity conservation actions and climate change mitigation in a timely manner, in support to major Conferences of Parties that are about to negotiate strategic frameworks and international goals for the decades to come. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity and its subsequent Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization to the Convention on Biological Diversity provide a framework to conserve biological diversity, sustainably use biodiversity components and fairly and equitably share their benefits. There is unresolved contention about treating information as a derivative of biological materials and a distinct commodity with a value that can be translated into definable benefits. This article addresses whether there is information in DNA sequences, finding that there is causal information but no intentional or semantic information, although the causal contribution remains difficult to determine. This article concludes that caution should be exercised in limiting access to information in DNA through regulation because of the perverse outcomes controlling potential uses and reducing incentives for others to use information in new and innovative ways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the importance of genetic diversity for species adaptation, ecosystem resilience, and societal innovations. It highlights the decline in genetic diversity in wild and domestic species and the underutilization of population genetics in environmental policy and conservation efforts. However, recent advancements have made genetics more accessible and relevant for conservation. These advancements include new tools for measuring genetic diversity, standardized reporting of genetic diversity, and the development of non-DNA-based indicators. The article also emphasizes the importance of inclusivity and ethical considerations in conservation genetics. Genetic monitoring programs and the use of remote data collection methods, such as environmental DNA analysis and satellite imagery, are also discussed. The article concludes by emphasizing the need for collaboration and the adoption of new approaches to advance the contributions of genetics in ecology and biodiversity conservation. [Extracted from the article]

Increasingly, government and corporate policies on ecological compensation (e.g., offsetting) are requiring "net gain" outcomes for biodiversity. This presents an opportunity to align development with the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity Post‐2020 Global Biodiversity Framework's (GBF) proposed ambition for overall biodiversity recovery. In this perspective, we describe three conditions that should be accounted for in net gain policy to align outcomes with biodiversity recovery goals: namely, a requirement for residual losses from development to be compensated for by (1) absolute gains, which are (2) scaled to the achievement of explicit biodiversity targets, where (3) gains are demonstrably feasible. We show that few current policies meet these conditions, which risks undermining efforts to achieve the proposed Post‐2020 GBF milestones and goals, as well as other jurisdictional policy imperatives to halt and reverse biodiversity decline. To guide future decision‐making, we provide a supporting decision tree outlining net gain compensation feasibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Open access to sequence data is a cornerstone of biology and biodiversity research, but has created tension under the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). Policy decisions could compromise research and development, unless a practical multilateral solution is implemented. Ensuring international benefit-sharing from sequence data without jeopardising open sharing is a major obstacle for the Convention on Biological Diversity and other UN negotiations. Here, the authors propose a solution to address the concerns of both developing countries and life scientists. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Societal Impact Statement The Fourth Industrial Revolution is underway. Controversy surrounds the choice of modality for access to genetic resources and the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from their utilization, as established in the third objective of the Convention on Biological Diversity. The modality chosen by the Conference of the Parties should promote conservation and sustainable use of genetic resources, which are the first and second objectives of the convention. "Bounded openness over natural information" achieves all three objectives by aligning incentives between users and Providers. With philanthropic support, the modality can also be applied to unpublished traditional knowledge, which would enhance food security. Summary: Several international agreements have provisions for "access to genetic resources" and "fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from [their] utilization" (ABS). The optimal modality has proven elusive for the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and Nagoya Protocol (NP). Such failure need not be so. We embrace reductionism and partition genetic resources into tangible and intangible attributes and classify the latter as natural or artificial information. The economics of information justifies "rents," which is the difference between what is paid and what would have been paid in a competitive market. Fairness and equity imply protection for natural information equal to that of artificial information. Bilateralism eliminates rents through competition and renders royalties infinitesimal, thus defeating ABS. The proposed Global Multilateral Benefit‐Sharing Mechanism (GMBSM) could capture rents and distribute royalty income proportional to habitat for terrestrial species, and to CO2 reductions for marine species and wild relatives of crops. Alignment of incentives for conservation would facilitate transition to half‐Earth. Domesticated species require stronger incentives for conservation than do nondomesticated species. The Multilateral System (MLS) of The International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA) should be expanded. Enclosure of traditional knowledge not yet in public domain through a benefit‐sharing mechanism could incentivize communities to deposit samples into the CGIAR Genebanks and resume seed exchange, which is essential for food security. A robust modality of ABS for the CBD, NP, ITPGRFA and other agreements is "bounded openness." [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Societal Impact Statement: Crop archaeogenomics has rapidly flourished in recent years, leading to a new way of understanding the past and bringing answers to important questions about human history in relation to plant management and food production. Furthermore, the knowledge derived from the analysis of ancient crops can contribute to the development of a more sustainable future. However, the extant legal framework presents a number of challenges when applied to this research field, particularly in the current scenario of disparities in scientific outcomes between countries. We expose the uncertainties of the legal framework and the factors that maintain or exacerbate these inequalities, as well as possible solutions. Summary: Crop archaeogenomics is a flourishing field that has greatly benefited from next‐generation sequencing technologies. Ancient and historical plant remains are currently considered genetic resources and as such are subject to legal frameworks like those implemented by the Nagoya Protocol. In addition to the challenges in complying with genetic resource regulations that crop archaeogenomics share with other basic plant research disciplines, there are additional difficulties specific to this interdisciplinary field that includes science and humanities, namely, the need to comply with two different legislations before accessing the samples (one for genetic resources and one for cultural heritage), along with a high risk of not obtaining DNA. As a result, most studies to date have been done on samples for which the laws regulating genetic resources did not apply, sometimes avoiding the need of reaching Access and Benefit Sharing agreements with the country that originally provided the samples. This phenomenon is likely to worsen in the future, as the archaeological record is a limited resource and competition between laboratories will only widen the gap between developed and developing economies. Because crop archaeogenomics is a new and promising scientific field, it is desirable to begin a dialogue with other basic biological research fields to facilitate the implementation of these agreements so that basic sciences can easily utilize these biological samples while ensuring the rights of all parties involved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]