Biological diversity under development: A study of the co-production that is biological diversity

Abstract

The problem of biodiversity loss is a complex issue involving multiple actors and knowledge forms. This article examines how this complexity is possible without fragmenting the issue and causing it to lose its meaning and legitimacy. Inspired by Jasanoff, the study aims to analyse the construction of biological diversity through a co-production perspective. This aim is achieved by focusing on three milestones in the history of the problem of biodiversity loss: launching the concept of biodiversity, establishing the Convention on Biological Diversity and founding the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services. The study shows how biological diversity consists of a co-production of facts and values and how its differences make it a stable rather than unstable phenomenon. The study offers knowledge of the hybrid character of biodiversity and discusses the importance of trying to manage the complexity of biological diversity rather than reducing it through boundary work. © 2014 © 2014 Taylor & Francis.