Policy

Leveraging genetics expertise to inform policy

The science-policy interface

Keeping abreast of emerging national and international conservation policy is key to our mission. We engage with policy by issuing policy briefs, providing technical comments on proposed policy drafts, and presenting genetics workshops for non-expert policy makers.

What we’re doing to make a difference

Convention on Biological Diversity

Leveraging our group’s international composition and breadth of conservation genetics experience, we are working to inform the integration of genetic diversity into protections for wild populations of plants and animals.

Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES)

We are working to inform the inclusion of genetic diversity in the IPBES framework.

International Union for Conservation of Nature

Integrating genetic diversity into IUCN’s Red List.

**Policy Engagement Highlights**

Expand the menu below to read about our policy engagement highlights.

- Attended in person the CBD COP15 and hosted a booth with more than 100 people stopping by, and hosting a CBD Side Event with more than 150 people attending in person and virtually, including with live translation
- Attended in person the CBD COP16 and hosted a booth with more than 100 people stopping by, and with members of the CCG presenting on conservation genetics and genetic indicators at approximately 10 events
- Attended and provided input to virtual meetings of policy makers of CBD including the SBSTTA
- Composed 11 statements or policy information documents during the CBD GBF negotiations and distributed these to 1000+ contact points and/or to key CBD leaders
- Submitted 5 formal comments to the CBD through its requests for input, and, via contacts within national delegations, helped several nations to add points about conservation genetics to their formal comment submissions
- Provided specific talking points input to IUCN and NGO statements submitted to the CBD
- Gave virtual presentations to the CBD AHTEG, CBD Secretariat, European Commission, and Co-Chairs of the CBD
- Recruited more than 40 CBD Parties and NGOs to support our application to host a CBD COP15 and COP16 side event
- Contributed to 3 information documents submitted by GEO BON and 3 statements or submissions by IUCN, during the CBD GBF negotiations
- Participated in or hosted numerous Webinars
- Submitted a large number of comments in a single submission to the open comment period for the National Nature Assessment of the USA
- Signed on, along with 100s of NGOs, to an open letter to the Biden Administration on the 50th anniversary of the Endangered Species Act
- Submitted a statement to the Common International Classification of Ecosystem Services (CICES) developed from the work on environmental accounting undertaken by the European Environment Agency (EEA)
- Submitted comments for the EuropaBON User and Policy Needs Assessment
- Submitted comments on the EuropaBON European Environment Agency's Biodiversity Information System for Europe (BISE)
- Supporting the application for the EU COST Action GENOA
- Attending and supporting symposia at the World Biodiversity Forum 2024
- Submitted comments on the IUCN 20 year vision
- Submitted comments on the IUCN Nature Positive initiative
- Submitted comments on a draft of the IPBES Nexus report
- Submitted comments on IPBES Objective 3a of work program