Nature in Common: Beyond the Nagoya Protocol

The Nagoya Protocol is a major international agreement for global biodiversity governance and was meant to put an end to the uncompensated exploitation of natural resources and knowledge in the Global South. Its objectives were to ensure greater justice and equity between providers and users of genetic resources, raise the profile of the contributions and knowledge of indigenous and local communities, and decolonise research, while promoting the conservation of biodiversity.

Thirty years after the Convention on Biological Diversity from which it originated, the authors examine the legal and practical manifestations of this virtuous framework, which entered into force in 2014. While it has fostered recognition of the plural nature of knowledge and helped to establish traceability of resources, it has also contributed to imposing a commercial vision of nature and knowledge, exacerbating identity politics, and making access to biodiversity more complex in an era of globalised research.

This book presents an interdisciplinary dialogue based on feedback from researchers and conservation stakeholders (local communities, managers of collections and natural parks). Looking beyond the Nagoya Protocol, it invites us to question the relationships between societies and nature in light of the ecological emergency. It is intended for anyone with an interest in the economics of biodiversity and environmental justice.