Unravelling the Local Puzzle of Biodiversity Governance: The Case of the Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFPs)

• Grant number: 16/08539-4
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Doctorate
• Start date: August 01, 2016
• End date: July 31, 2017
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - Political Science - International Politics
• Principal Investigator: João Paulo Cândia Veiga
• Grantee: Murilo Alves Zacareli
• Supervisor: Eduardo Sonnewend Brondizio
• Host Institution: Instituto de Relações Internacionais (IRI). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Indiana University, United States
• Associated to the scholarship: 15/05496-0 - From the intergovernmental multilateral to the public-private transnational: the Standard-Setting influence on the enforcement of the international environmental regime for the biodiversity, BP.DR

Abstract

The aim of this research proposal is to carry out a comparative analysis between megadiverse countries in order to verify whether the local interplay of stakeholders has contributed to the implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Nagoya Protocol in forest ecosystems where the collection of NTFPs takes place. Another objective is to build a database with information obtained from various sources of information regarding NTFPs ranging from case studies and primary and secondary data to official documents. The research has a hypothetical-deductive character and uses process-tracing and case study to investigate the evidences that can explain the relation between the local puzzle of biodiversity governance (independent variable) and the implementation of the principles and objectives of the public international regulation that regulate the use of biodiversity (dependent variables). This proposal is justified by the need to promote multidisciplinary studies that involve the governance of natural resources which is part of a broader research agenda involving Environmental Politics and Governance to understand how the debates regarding Common-Pool Resources have been redesigned to reach a broader understanding of governance mechanisms applied to diverse natural resources. Since biodiversity embraces a wide variety of living organisms, the NTFPs have been chosen as these have all the necessary elements to carry out the proposed comparative analysis. The findings of this research proposal will significantly contribute to the main research conducted in Brazil.