Does democratic regression threaten biodiversity conservation and climate action? Exploring the relationships, implications, and opportunities for democratization as a conservation strategy

Abstract

A global democratic recession is underway, but its repercussions for the pursuit of progress on the joint crises of climate change and biodiversity loss remains unclear. In this paper we explore two questions: (1) what is the evidence of a relationship between the strength of a state’s democracy and its performance on environmental issues?; and (2) to what extent does ongoing democratic regression overlap with conservation actors and biodiversity hotspots? Using a series of datasets and biodiversity proxies (including state actors, intergovernmental organizations, civil society actors, and 36 biodiversity hotspots), we produce three central findings: (a) we find support for the hypothesis that there is a strong positive relationship between the strength of democratic institutions and a state’s environmental performance. We (b) find that the positive relationship between democracy and environmental performance appears to coalesce in ‘hybrid regimes’ and continues in ‘flawed democracies’ and ‘full democracies.’ This relationship does not hold true for authoritarian regimes. Finally, we (c) find that democratic regression has substantial overlap with important biodiversity actors and hotspots, which suggests it may pose a critical risk to conservation success. The recent turn towards democratic approaches such as collaboration, co-production, and centering of Indigenous Peoples and local communities in environmental governance requires that more attention be paid to the risks that democratic regression creates, and that democratization be pursued as a conservation strategy alongside prominent conservation approaches.