International trade has a large biodiversity footprint in the Global South – about one third of biodiversity impacts in Central and Southern America and Africa are driven by consumption in other world regions. Trade agreements between European and other countries can reduce the negative impacts on biodiversity caused by European imports outside Europe.
To this end, Pillar 4 of the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 proposes stronger measures to counter the adverse impacts of trade on biodiversity and enable a shift of investment towards sustainable activities. This includes the Deforestation Regulation, the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive, the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive, and the EU taxonomy for sustainable investments.
Currently, knowledge is insufficiently mobilized at the intersection of biodiversity and trade. The design and implementation of equitable sustainability provisions in trade agreements remains challenging. Some policies intended to support the environment may even cause or aggravate negative environmental and social impacts globally, including effects on biodiversity. Ultimately, all trade agreements will require monitoring of trade and biodiversity impacts, to identify unintended side-effects, assess systemic outcomes on biodiversity and people, and adapt where necessary. The PEER Biodiversity and Trade working group strengthens the science-policy interface related to the impacts that European trade has on biodiversity.
It aims to:
- Create a hub of expertise by mobilizing scientists, experts, and policymakers, working on biodiversity and trade between Europe and the rest of the world,
- Co-develop a robust, policy-relevant research agenda based on key knowledge and data gaps, which can guide scientific programmes, policy making, and practices, in the next decade,
- Identify ’science service pathways’ where PEER can add maximum value and impact,
- Bridge chain platforms, databases and models, and
- Hold iterative dialogue at global, EU and national levels.
Developing the research agenda is currently underway. It will tackle challenges related to developing qualitative and quantitative biodiversity assessments of international trade; mapping system dynamics, root causes, and power structures across value chains; organization disclosure, reporting and response options; measuring and assessing financial risk; governance and regulation mechanisms; mechanisms to link implementation and reporting on national and international policy targets.
Interested to know more? Contact
Jeanne Nel (Jeanne.nel@wur.nl)
Salla Rantalla (Salla.Rantala@syke.fi)