This analysis was conceived by its author as a trilogy of commentaries in the wake of Decision 16/2 from the 16th Conference of the Parties (COP) to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). Although each commentary can be read separately, synergy results when read together, and the composite reinforces abstractions that may be difficult to appreciate without some repetition, he says. ‘Bounded openness over natural information’ emerges as a robust modality for access to genetic resources and traditional knowledge, and the fair and equitable sharing of financial benefits (known by the acronym ABS). The ‘additional modality’ proposed here for Decision 16/2 should be vetted in the run-up to COP17, which is scheduled for 2026 in Armenia, he argues. Boondoggle: ‘Operationalizing’ the multilateral benefit-sharing mechanism of Decision 15/9 (Decision 16/2 of UNCBD) The tumultuous COP16 to the CBD concluded on 1 November 2024. Decision 15/9 was “operationaliz[ed]” in Decision 16/2 for the multilateral benefit-sharing mechanism of “Digital Sequence Information on Genetic Resources” (DSI). I begin my analysis where Decision 16/2 ends, viz. the Enclosures. Consider how Decision 16/2 answers this primary question: Who will be the beneficiaries of the multilateral benefit-sharing mechanism? “Enclosure B: Indicative list of criteria for funding allocation Biodiversity richness, and other biodiversity-related criteria for which data is readily available at the national level.” – Decision 16/2 Through the lens of physics, information is the reduction of uncertainty or variance, while the presence of variance in genetic distance is a proxy for “richness, and other biodiversity-related criteria.”…This article was originally published on Mongabay
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