The Convention on Biological Diversity - Fall

Advisor(s): Shahid Naeem | Tanya Heikkila

This report analyzes the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and explores how the United States could implement the treaty if it were ratified by the Senate. The CBD is an international agreement designed to conserve biological diversity, promote the sustainable use of biological resources, and ensure the equitable sharing of benefits derived from genetic resources. Biodiversity plays a critical role in supporting ecosystem services such as climate regulation, nutrient cycling, food production, and water purification, all of which are essential to human well-being. Despite signing the treaty in 1994, the United States has not ratified the agreement due to political opposition and concerns from some industry groups. The report therefore focuses on designing a practical policy framework that could allow the United States to participate effectively in the global biodiversity governance system.

The project proposes a pilot implementation program, referred to as the “USCBD,” designed to initiate CBD implementation within existing federal institutions. The proposed strategy focuses initially on coral reef ecosystems in Florida, which were selected due to their ecological importance, vulnerability to human pressures, and the existence of the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force that could support monitoring and management efforts. The plan outlines how responsibilities could be integrated within the U.S. State Department and other federal agencies, including staffing structures, budget requirements, performance metrics, and a master implementation calendar. By focusing on a single ecosystem during the first year, the program allows policymakers to test governance mechanisms, monitoring systems, and reporting procedures before expanding to additional ecosystems. The report concludes that targeted pilot programs could provide a politically feasible pathway for advancing biodiversity conservation within the United States while aligning national policies with international environmental agreements.

Learn more about the MPA-ESP Workshop in Applied Earth Systems Management.