Study on the Turning Points in International Biodiversity Policy

Abstract

In this study, the transition, turning points and their backgrounds of the international nature conservation (especially biodiversity) policy were revealed using objective indicators. Through analysis of General Assembly resolutions of the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) over the 60 years, the international nature conservation policies were divided into 7 periods. Transitions of main issues of the policy in each period were revealed: general nature protection in the mid-'50s; living resources conservation in the early '60s; wild species protection such as endangered species during the late '60s and '70s; and biodiversity (especially genetic resources) conservation and use since the '80s. Each period has a symbolic stream such as the establishment of a convention.