Side Event

Framework on Estimating Expected Benefits through Facilitating the Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit-Sharing: with Emphases on Multiple Benefits of Sustainable Utilisation of the Resources, Non-Monetary Benefits and Cost-Effectiveness of New Institutions

Organizer
Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Yamanashi, JAPAN and Graduate School of International Development, Nagoya University, JAPAN

Date and Time
12 October 2012 18:15 - 19:45

Meeting
Eleventh meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP 11)

This side event intends to introduce a research activity titled above. Furthermore, this introduction is intended to provide useful information especially for decision makers in provider country(ies) when they are required to revise or establish new institutions. The information includes: 1) an option value and multiple benefits available though sustainable utilisation of genetic resources including those by alleviation of other environmental problems; 2) non-monetary benefits that are available though ABS mechanisms including capacity building, technology transfer, and filling up investment gaps; and 3) framework to evaluate cost-effectiveness of ABS related institutions when they are considered, responding to ratification of the protocol. When the decision makers are required to revise/establish new institutions, they are expected to justify this from the viewpoint of social benefits of their country(ies), even if revision/establishment is required in the processes of ratification of the Nagoya Protocol, because they have to bear additional administrative costs. Article 15 of the protocol, for instance, requires each party to take appropriate legislative, administrative or policy measures. In addition to monetary benefits that are widely recognised, non-monetary benefits are important for decisions, because they are regarded to bring social benefits such as capacity building, technology transfer, and so forth. Despite this fact, concrete estimations on non-monetary benefits can hardly be found. This research tries to provide this estimation for better decisions and/justification. In addition to importance of non-monetary benefits, option values should not be underestimated. Option values are values that can be obtained when ‘development (i.e. habitat loss)’ of some biodiversity-rich areas is postponed and when biodiversity of these areas are conserved for a period of time, for instance, for extraction of genetic resources for ABS activities. This emergence of the option values can benefit conservation of biodiversity, say, the first objective of CBD. Moreover, it can be regarded to increase benefits of the Rio Conventions, increasing possibilities of carbon sinks for UNFCCC and enhancing biodiversity-rich areas to prevent desertification for UNCCD. The event, say, this research activity tries to provide a framework to compare costs and benefits.