Background

The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), also known as the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, is a global development strategy adopted by the Chinese government in 2013 under President Xi Jinping. It's aim is to enhance regional connectivity and embrace a vast network of trade and infrastructure projects stretching across Asia, Europe, and Africa, and extending to other parts of the world. BRI was initially proposed to revive and expand the ancient Silk Road trade routes, which historically connected China to the Mediterranean via Central Asia and Europe. Beyond just the road, the BRI project reflects China's aspirations to enhance its economic influence, secure access to key resources, open new markets for its products, and promote economic cooperation with participating countries.​

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However, BRI poses significant biodiversity concerns, primarily due to its large-scale infrastructure projects that cut through ecologically sensitive regions. The construction of roads, railways, and pipelines often leads to habitat destruction and fragmentation, disrupting ecosystems and endangering species. These developments can impede wildlife movement, fragment populations, and reduce genetic diversity, making it harder for species to adapt to environmental changes. Additionally, the BRI threatens endangered species by disrupting migratory routes and increasing the risk of human-wildlife conflicts. The expansion of infrastructure into remote areas also facilitates illegal activities like poaching and logging, further exacerbating biodiversity loss.

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The Project

FOCUS-BRI was a yearlong, in-depth assessment of 12 countries where BRI and other national or international investments were being made for infrastructure projects. This assessment was undertaken by the Center for Large Landscape Conservation with the aim of exploring the context of safeguarding biodiversity surrounding linear infrastructure (LI), specifically roads, railways, and transmission lines. The project focused on China’s Belt and Road infrastructures while recognizing that the environmental implications of infrastructure extend beyond the funder. 

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As a part of this project, I conducted desk-based research on the legal frameworks, environmental safeguards, and realities on the ground in Nepal, Vietnam and Democratic Republic of Congo to identify the most pressing threats to biodiversity from LI projects, the greatest opportunities to establish safeguarding in these projects, and the various levers of influence, across scales and countries, to ensure biodiversity, climate resilience, and balanced development where Chinese FDI drives LI development.

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Final Product

The final product of this research were FOCUS-BRI country reports that identified where biodiversity, climate change and infrastructure development interact. The reports sought to discern the capacity of each country to build necessary linear infrastructure without negatively impacting biodiversity and deploy safeguards to protect biodiversity where impacts are unavoidable. In addition, the reports examined the adequacy and enforcement of existing country guidelines and policies to protect biodiversity during development.

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More information about this project as well as links to final reports can be accessed here.