Translating Global Biodiversity Norms : The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and Domestic Governance in New Zealand

Sammanfattning

This thesis examines how global biodiversity norms under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF) are translated into New Zealand’s domestic governance framework. Instead of understanding implementation as a straightforward process of adopting international commitments, the study sees translation as a process of interpretation, adaptation, and institutional embedding within domestic political and governance contexts. Drawing on constructivist norm theory, especially Acharya’s concept of norm localisation, and policy transfer literature, the study analyses how global biodiversity norms are translated into national governance systems. Methodologically, the thesis conducts a qualitative case study based on a document analysis of key international and national biodiversity governance documents, including the KMGBF, Te Mana o te Taiao, New Zealand’s 2024 national targets submission, the Conservation General Policy, and New Zealand’s Seventh National Report to the Convention on Biological Diversity. The findings show that technical biodiversity norms are translated mostly through alignment and operational adaptation, while governance norms that are connected to participation, Indigenous knowledge, and authority are substantially reframed through Treaty-based governance arrangements and mātauranga Māori. The study argues that the variation in the translation of biodiversity norms is an inherent part of how global biodiversity governance operates across domestic contexts.