Antarctica and ABNJ in the Anthropocene: Challenges to the sustainable management of marine genetic resources

Abstract

The Anthropocene epoch brings new technology-related challenges for the sustainable management of biodiversity, including the access to marine genetic resources. Although separated in two multilateral agendas, Antarctica and the area beyond national jurisdiction are comparable cases, since the regulation of bioprospecting activities has been under negotiation for decades, inside and outside the UN. From an interdisciplinary approach in international relations, legal and environmental science literature, three challenges are discussed: the socio-ecological complex system, the institutional responses and the UN 2030 Agenda (sustainable development goals). The main finding is that the UN 2030 Agenda needs to include companies (global players) in order to improve the effectiveness of the future regulations.