"Good" biodiversity governance: A systematic review of what constitutes good governance practice in the case of biodiversity conservation

Degrading ecosystems and the increasing number of species threatened with extinction pose an existential threat to biodiversity and ultimately, humankind. To prevent further biodiversity loss and promote regeneration, governments worldwide have relied on different arrangements of governance elements, such as policies, instruments, and mechanisms. Analyzing these varying approaches has resulted in a growing body of literature on biodiversity governance. Many of those publications, however, focus on the governance of specific ecosystems (e.g., marine, terrestrial) and spatial scales (e.g., local, global). Consequently, only few studies identify generalizable governance elements that could constitute "good" governance practice across individual cases. The concept of "good governance" and its principles (such as e.g., participation or horizontal accountability) could provide a starting point for analyzing what is necessary for "good" biodiversity governance. Although the concept has not been without criticism, it ignites a discussion about how to change governance for the better, meaning to become more effective in pursuing certain societal goals, like in this case, preserving biodiversity. While the discourse on "good governance" has long entered environmental governance literature, it has been less discussed in the context of biodiversity. Due to the unique challenges of biodiversity governance, e.g., the interconnectedness of species and ecosystems, "good governance" of biodiversity might require different governance elements and principles. The aim of this article is therefore 1) to analyze how the concept of "good governance" has been applied in the biodiversity governance literature so far, 2) to examine which governance arrangements have been deemed good practice by the literature beyond the "good governance" principles. A systematic review of the existing biodiversity governance literature was conducted to examine how the "good governance" concept has been applied to the context of biodiversity and to identify the governance elements and principles that are essential for "good" biodiversity governance according to the literature. The results of the review provide more generalizable assumptions about what constitutes "good" biodiversity governance. The identified governance elements and principles for conserving and promoting biodiversity also represent a useful framework for future studies, examining e.g., how the presence or absence of the identified governance elements potentially impacts biodiversity conservation outcomes. This allows for more systematic comparative case studies, leading ultimately to a better understanding of effective governance for biodiversity.