Amnesic Governance and the Reinvention of Market-Based Instruments in Global Biodiversity Politics

Objective

Biodiversity loss is accelerating with severe consequences for ecosystems, economies, and societies. Policymakers increasingly turn to market-based instruments to mobilise private finance, yet four decades of experimentation have produced repeated failures. Why, then, do global biodiversity policy actors continue to rely on instruments that so consistently underperform? AMNEBIOGOV proposes that this persistence is rooted in amnesic governance: the systematic erosion of institutional memory that prevents learning from past failures. The project examines two flagship transnational initiatives — the Biodiversity Credit Alliance (BCA) and the International Advisory Panel on Biodiversity Credits (IAPB) — to investigate three dimensions of knowledge loss: (i) turnover of actors, (ii) future bias, and (iii) experimental organisational design. Using career trajectory mapping, document analysis, and interviews, it will trace who drives these initiatives, and whether past lessons are acknowledged, overlooked, or structurally forgotten — and under what conditions learning may still occur. The project will generate a novel theory of amnesic governance, create a unique dataset on international biodiversity credit actors, and produce high-impact publications. A closed-door policy workshop and an EU-facing policy brief will translate findings into actionable recommendations, directly relevant to the EU Biodiversity Strategy and the Global Biodiversity Framework. For the researcher, the fellowship provides advanced training in mapping methods, communication, and leadership, while embedding them in the University of St. Gallen’s internationally recognised expertise in international relations. The project will strengthen EU debates on financing biodiversity protection and consolidate the researcher’s trajectory toward academic independence and leadership.