Actors of biodiversity have seldom engaged with the actors of chemical governance so far, while such collaboration could be fruitful to enhance the implementation of the post-2020 global biodiversity framework, to be adopted at CBD COP15 in China in late 2020. By taking the example of pesticides, this Issue Brief proposes to explore why increasing collaboration between the CBD and chemical conventions is an important issue for post-2020 biodiversity governance, as well as the forms such collaborations could take.
Key Messages
- Despite their direct impacts on biodiversity, pesticides are largely governed in the chemicals arena by policies and institutions separate from those governing biodiversity. The Stockholm and Rotterdam Conventions could be an effective avenue for mobilisation and connection of the biodiversity and chemicals regimes.
- We identify four ways in which the biodiversity community could engage with the chemicals regime: helping to reinforce the mechanisms to add pesticides to the Stockholm and Rotterdam Convention annexes and addressing implementation challenges of the conventions; working to reinforce institutional collaborations between biodiversity and chemicals conventions; building cooperation in non-state and multi-stakeholder action; and creating collaboration between national-level instruments and actors.
- It is possible to develop similar rationales and synergies for other substances, such as plastics. For an effective post-2020 biodiversity framework, stronger collaboration with chemical governance actors could help weigh in on sectoral discussions in which critical decisions relevant to biodiversity are made.
