CEFISES Seminar: Pierre Walckiers, « Reconstructing International Biodiversity Law for Socially Just Futures: Insights from Decolonial and Feminist Approaches »

Livestream https://www.youtube.com/@CEFISES

Series: OLOFOS

Speaker: Pierre Walckiers (UCLouvain)

Title: « Reconstructing International Biodiversity Law for Socially Just Futures: Insights from Decolonial and Feminist Approaches »

Abstract
Access and benefit-sharing (ABS) mechanisms—where access to genetic resources (generally located in developing countries) is negotiated in exchange for benefits used for conservation actions—were developed to mitigate deep inequalities between countries and biodiversity actors rooted in the colonial history of the collection and use of plant genetic resources. However, these inequalities are currently being challenged by technological innovations such as Digital Sequence Information (DSI), which alter the nature of bio-based R&D. DSI revives long-standing ABS disputes between the Global North and the Global South over the control of genetic resources. It is therefore urgent to unpack the issues at stake by listening to all actors involved in biodiversity conservation and DSI innovation. In response, DecoLawBiodiv (University of Liège) proposes a novel approach to explore how a decolonial reading of biodiversity conservation law can contribute to achieving the international objectives of biodiversity conservation, sustainable use, and fair and equitable ABS. DecoLawBiodiv will dig into the roots of the ABS North–South divide and (1) account for actors’ interactions, including power dynamics in negotiation arenas; (2) highlight the multiple actor groups’ understandings of key ABS concepts, rights, and obligations; and (3) scrutinize negotiation processes through a decolonial lens. DecoLawBiodiv’s theoretical breakthrough lies in the holistic study of DSI within ABS market-based, legal, and institutional frameworks using conflict transformation theory. Its methodological originality is to operationalize the decolonial lens through the “circle of dialogue of wisdom” method in three case studies (Bolivia, India, and South Africa), with the aim of transforming the ABS/DSI conflict into mutual understanding and support between actors and fostering a decolonized co-creation of knowledge for an effective international legal regime for biodiversity conservation.