Social Innovation for Biodiversity: The United Nations Case Study

Abstract

Environment and natural resources as well as biodiversity management are fundamentally and characteristically significant and inherently have implications for the human’s way of life, both directly and indirectly. Issues pertaining to conservation and management thereof are considered sensitive, multifaceted, time-consuming, and weighty on budget. The researcher, therefore, wishes to study domestic and international practices of social innovation for biodiversity and the United Nations' approach to the management of social innovation for biodiversity. This study is intrinsical of qualitative nature whereby the data used was collected by in-depth and group interviews including observations. The study result indicates that conceptions and methods that many countries, including Thailand, endeavor to achieve in connection with the conservation of environment and biodiversity are characterized as being in line with conditions and elements of social innovation conducted through a modern form of measure recently called as ‘Biodiversity Finance Plan’. In the case of Thailand, the plausible obstacle is where fiscal policy entails at the macro level. It hinders the effective use of benefits obtained from the biodiversity finance measures. it is also discovered that the local administration has been playing an incredibly vital role, for those working in the system are first-hand practitioners. The stakeholders’ interview sessions were analyzed by the researcher, and four benefits of social innovation for biodiversity were unearthed as follows: 1) It assists the government in lightening its burden of biodiversity management; 2) The management of the country's natural resource is thereby conducted in an effective and swift manner; 3) The government sector ultimately recognizes the problems of management, budget allocation, policy-related impediments, and the creation of cost-effective prototypical model as to the conservation of natural resources and biodiversity; and 4) The private sector is entertained by the opportunity to partake in conserving the environment and biodiversity.