Biodiversity Litigation

Book excerpt: Biodiversity is in accelerated decline and urgent action is needed. In 2020, the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity ended, and none of its Aichi Targets were met. Despite the legally disappointing situation on a global level, the role of national courts in adjudicating climate change litigation is showing potential for effective mitigation and adaptation, and judges have become key actors in linking internationally agreed goals with tangible national commitments to mitigate climate change. Can this pursuit of globally agreed goals at a local level be transposed and lead a similar trend for biodiversity governance? This edited collection gives readers an overview of the shape and reach of biodiversity litigation, drawing on specific case studies from countries such as Brazil, China, India and Canada. It considers two questions: Firstly, what is the influence of international biodiversity law on biodiversity litigation? Secondly, what are the trends of biodiversity litigation? Leading experts discuss these questions from the perspective of developing, developed and mega bio-diverse countries, promoting the concept of biodiversity litigation as a common notion of environmental law, and arguing for more creative legal thinking when dealing with and analysing biodiversity-related disputes.