The digital bioeconomy: microbiomes as a stress test for global digital sequence information governance.

Abstract

Digital sequence information governance has entered a high-stakes implementation era. The Convention on Biological Diversity's 'Cali Fund' is operationalised as the financial engine of its multilateral mechanism (MLM), with similar frameworks under negotiation across other international ocean and agricultural treaties. However, because microorganisms and their functional clusters transcend national borders, traditional bilateral mechanisms are difficult to implement. This policy briefing uses microbiomes as a stress test for these evolving MLMs, evaluating three primary challenges: the holobiont 'data sandwich', the 'oblivious user' awareness gap, and overlapping jurisdictions. By analysing these friction points, we discuss pathways to ensure global MLMs support both innovation and equitable benefit-sharing.