The Legal Preparedness for Achieving the Aichi Biodiversity Targets Initiative was launched in 2012 by IDLO and the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity. The Initiative provides a central hub for stakeholders and experts to share knowledge and build capacity, contributing to a global effort to raise understanding of “biodiversity laws” and their role in supporting countries to achieve their biodiversity goals related to the Aichi Biodiversity Targets.
“Biodiversity laws” have traditionally been used for conservation purposes, focusing on the protection of plant species, wildlife and national parks. The Initiative, through its work, has found that “biodiversity laws” can play a much broader role by addressing the underlying causes of biodiversity loss and mainstreaming biodiversity values across economic sectors. The creation of an enabling legal environment, underpinned by strong institutions and good governance, can be an essential step for countries to effectively achieve their biodiversity goals. However, no one-size-fits-all solution exists on legal reform for biodiversity, rather countries need to develop regulatory and institutional frameworks tailored to local contexts and priorities.
This Initiative aims to assist countries to “legally prepare” to achieve the Aichi Biodiversity Targets, a process that includes building up the locally relevant knowledge, legal capacity, and political commitment needed to empower countries to use law to achieve their broad biodiversity goals. The Initiative’s activities focus on:
- Facilitating the sharing of country experiences using “biodiversity laws” around the world through events and online forums;
- Building up the capacity of legal practitioners, particularly in developing countries, to provide locally relevant knowledge and expertise;
- Assisting countries to undertake Legal Preparedness processes to assess, reform and implement laws to achieve goals related to the Aichi Biodiversity Targets; and
- Supporting thought leadership on new legal approaches to achieving biodiversity goals, and linking these legal innovations to inform broader global development discussions.
The Initiative’s activities engage and grow a global community of thinkers and practitioners working together to better implement existing laws and develop new legal approaches. Our objective is to use law to achieve more equitable and inclusive sustainable development outcomes for biodiversity and people.
