Spaces for Local Voices? A Discourse Analysis of the Decisions of the Convention on Biological Diversity

This paper discusses the existence and shape of a discursive space for local voices in the arena of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). Political ecology and other critical literature on global environmental governance argues that dominant or hegemonic discourses shape decision-making in such arenas, and delimit the boundaries of possible policy choices. Discourses that shape global environmental governance are seen as rooted in a dominant worldview stemming notably from a capitalist view of value. This, it is argued, precludes discursive spaces for other types of worldviews based on different conceptions of value (for example commons approaches) held in those local communities considered crucial in protecting the environment and natural resources. The paper aims to contribute to this area of study by looking in detail at the CBD, argued by some as a more open arena for local voices. The contribution relies on a discourse analysis applied to the CBD’s decisions since its creation and up to its most recent meetings held in late 2016. Essentially, the aim of the analysis is to apply the arguments of political ecology and other critical literature to the decisions of the CBD in order to investigate how far they conform to this critical view. The results presented here are the first to emerge from the initial discourse analysis, and further work is being carried out. Nevertheless, they suggest points of interest for further debate and research.