Benefit-sharing for an equitable transition to the green economy - the role of Law (BENELEX)

The BENELEX project addresses the question: can benefit-sharing address the equity deficit within the green economy? It aims to investigate the conceptual and practical dimensions of benefit-sharing – a legal tool seeking to equitably allocate among different stakeholders economic as well as also socio-cultural and environmental advantages arising from the conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. The project thus explores benefit-sharing as an under-theorised and little-implemented regulatory approach to address inter-related global environmental challenges (such as climate change, biodiversity loss, land degradation and the protection of the marine environment) by accommodating the special circumstances, cultural preferences and vulnerabilities of developing countries and of indigenous peoples and local communities in transitioning to the green economy.
The BENELEX project ("Benefit-sharing for an equitable transition to the green economy - the role of law") is funded through a European Research Council Starting Grant made to Elisa Morgera running for five years from 1 November 2013.
The BENELEX project aims to reply to the following questions:
What does benefit-sharing mean across different international regimes (biodiversity, climate change, land and agriculture, oceans, human rights)?
To what extent and under which conditions does benefit-sharing support equity and the protection of human rights in the transition to the green economy across key inter-related sectors of international environmental regulation?
How does benefit-sharing develop and operate at the intersection of international, transnational and national law and the customary law of local communities and indigenous peoples (global environmental law)?
What are the roles and responsibilities of transnational legal advisors (NGOs and bilateral cooperation partners) in an equitable transition to the green economy?