Interplay of actors, scales, frameworks and regimes in the governance of biodiversity

TLDR

The article examines how political science and systems theory literature contribute to analyzing biodiversity governance in Europe. It illustrates this by analyzing how vertical and horizontal interplay between the biodiversity framework and broader institutional regimes shaped the implementation of the Habitats Directive, both complicating and fostering governance. The study finds that governance frameworks and regimes differ, that multi‑scale and multi‑level interplay is central, and that such interplay is ubiquitous and ambivalent, potentially fostering or hindering environmental governance. © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.

Abstract

Abstract This article examines the key contributions of the political science and systems theory based literatures on environmental governance, and uses them to analyse the governance of biodiversity in Europe. The article suggests that the key insights of the two bodies of literature are a distinction between governance frameworks and regimes on one hand, and the importance of multifaceted and multiple scales on the other. These key insights draw attention to horizontal and vertical forms of interplay. The article suggests that interplay, both between actors and levels and between frameworks and regimes, is ubiquitous and ambivalent: it can either foster or hinder environmental governance. The article illustrates this discussion in the context of governance of biodiversity in Europe, highlighting how vertical and horizontal interplay between the governance framework for biodiversity and the broader institutional setting or regime have characterized the implementation of the Habitats Directive, both complicating and fostering the governance of biodiversity in Europe. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.