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A Biodiversity Hotspots Treaty: The Road not Taken

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  • Scott Barrett

    (Columbia University)

Abstract

After brief introductory comments on the Dasgupta Review, I turn to a subject little discussed in this report, the Convention on Biological Diversity. I explain the many weaknesses of this agreement, and its greatest missed opportunity: a protocol to conserve biodiversity as a global public good. This value of biodiversity represents only a fraction of the total value of conservation, but it’s the fraction that can only be supplied by a global treaty. I explain the flaws in the current approach by parties to the Convention of target setting, the advantages of a focus on biodiversity hotspots, and the reasons another treaty, the World Heritage Convention, has failed to conserve hotspots representing humankind’s biodiversity heritage. I then sketch a model showing that collective action in conserving global biodiversity hotspots can be supported by a self-enforcing treaty. The road not taken looks far more promising than the one we’ve been on since 1992.

Suggested Citation

  • Scott Barrett, 2022. "A Biodiversity Hotspots Treaty: The Road not Taken," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 83(4), pages 937-954, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:enreec:v:83:y:2022:i:4:d:10.1007_s10640-022-00670-5
    DOI: 10.1007/s10640-022-00670-5
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Partha Dasgupta, 2022. "The Economics of Biodiversity: Afterword," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 83(4), pages 1017-1039, December.

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