In light of the upcoming Convention on Biological Diversity Conference of Parties (COP15), the Working Group of Environmental Law and Global Governance invites you to a workshop on the law's often-difficult role in conserving and restoring biodiversity worldwide. Biodiversity conservation is not limited to environmental law and interdisciplinary collaboration is an essential part of the solution.
Biodiversity - the variety and abundance of animal and plant life - is under severe pressure worldwide as a result of anthropocentric pressures such as climate change, habitat deterioration, changes in land use, overexploitation, illegal trade, and pollution. At least 81% of Special Areas of Conservation (SPA) in the European Union are in unfavourable conservation status. Meanwhile, the 2022 'Living Planet Rapport' revealed that, on average, global species populations have declined by 69% since 1970. To tackle this trend, new initiatives are being developed at various levels of governance.
Programme:
I Cities and Biodiversity (Elena Evangelidis)
Elena Evangelidis will discuss the role cities play in international biodiversity governance, highlighting in particular how cities and local governments will be addressed as actors under the CBD framework and at COP15.
II Biodiversity and Trade (Justine Muller)
Justine Muller will review the implications of trade on biodiversity and lead the discussion on the role of trade and biodiversity law nexus in light of the CBD COP 15.
III Biodiversity restoration in EU (Niels Hoek)
Niels Hoek will discuss a recent paper on the Proposal of the EU Commission to introduce a Regulation on Nature Restoration, as well as explore potential frictions with economic law. The latter implements, in part, the commitments made at the CBD COP 15.
Although the workshop has a legal focus, researchers from all backgrounds are warmly invited.