The global nature and seriousness of the threats to biodiversity have created a pressing need for international law. In 1992, under the aegis of the United Nations, States adopted the Convention on Biological Diversity. Numerous sectoral and/or regional conventions coexist alongside it, as well as a body of customary rules. The study of international biodiversity law also leads us to go beyond the issues of protection and preservation, to address the questions raised by the use and exploitation of biodiversity. In this respect, international biodiversity law interacts, and sometimes conflicts, with other rules of international law.

The ambition of this book is not to offer an exhaustive presentation of an abundant but still scattered body of law, but rather to contribute to its conceptualization. International biodiversity law is also an excellent laboratory for studying current developments in contemporary international law, notably the institutionalization of cooperation, the development of secondary law, the articulation between customary and conventional rules, and innovative mechanisms for monitoring and assisting States.