Abstract:

Backgrounds: To achieve the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF) within the Chinese context, grass-roots local government are key players, as they implement or oversee most actionable measures. China’s system excels at mobilizing collective efforts for national tasks like biodiversity management and climate change response. 

Challenges: Nevertheless, in the execution of top-down directives, grass-roots local government are inclined to prioritize and exhaustively implement initiatives that are tied to performance evaluation metrics. The comparative advantages inherent in China’s governance structure have exhibited notable efficacy in the observance of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC); however, such strengths remain underdeveloped in the realm of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). The reason is that the implementation task is not reflected in the planning and assessment of local governments and the financial support is weak. 

Recommendations: It is suggested to leverage the Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China to mainstream the work of the KMGBF and the China National Biodiversity Conservation Strategy and Action Plan (2023‒2030), thereby enabling international compliance efforts to potentially receive rigid support under the Chinese system. Establish and improve coordination mechanisms among government agencies at all levels, and construct policy systems for various departments and industries. Strengthen inter-departmental collaboration, enhance linkage between provinces, cities, and counties, break down barriers of departmental interests, completely reverse the notion that biodiversity work is solely the responsibility of ecological and environmental departments, refine the joint mechanism for biodiversity conservation and governance, and classify and grade to consolidate responsibilities. The central ecological and environmental protection inspectors form the means for ecological and environmental departments to dispatch local governments and relevant departments at the grass-roots local level.

Key words: Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, Convention on Biological Diversity, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, grass-roots local government