Protecting Asia's biodiversity through legal innovation: ClientEarth's strategic vision 2025-2030

Asia's extraordinary biodiversity is under unprecedented threat. Home to the world's most biodiverse ecosystems, from tropical rainforests to coral reefs, this continent sustains billions of people through food security, livelihoods, and climate regulation. Yet escalating deforestation, overfishing, and unsustainable development are pushing these natural assets to the brink.

The next decade is critical. This article outlines ClientEarth's comprehensive Asia Nature Strategy, a legal framework designed to halt biodiversity loss and drive systemic rights-based conservation across the region's most crucial ecosystems.

The power of legal innovation in rights-based conservation

ClientEarth's Asia Nature Strategy represents a paradigm shift in biodiversity protection, embedding conservation targets directly into legal systems to ensure long-term resilience of both environment and people. This approach recognises that lasting change requires more than good intentions; it demands robust legal frameworks that make biodiversity protection legally enforceable and economically viable.

By utilising the power of the law in forest governance, marine biodiversity conservation, and sustainable critical minerals management, this strategy aims to operationalize the Global Biodiversity Framework's ambitious 30x30 target, protecting 30% of terrestrial and marine ecosystems by 2030.

Strategic focus on high-impact regions

The strategy concentrates on four pivotal countries: Indonesia, the Philippines and Japan. These nations were selected not only for their exceptional biodiversity value but also for their central role in global supply chains for timber, seafood and critical minerals. Crucially, they demonstrate growing political openness to legal reform, offering genuine opportunities for transformative change.

Rights-based, community-centered approach

Central to this strategy is a commitment to Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLCs) as both guardians and beneficiaries of biodiversity protection. Drawing lessons from successful programs in Africa and Europe, ClientEarth prioritises local leadership and knowledge systems. This approach recognises that sustainable conservation must be locally led and culturally grounded.

Building legal frameworks for systemic change

The strategy tackles biodiversity loss through four interconnected priority areas:

·       Operationalising the 30x30 target: Embedding the Global Biodiversity Framework's equitable conservation commitments into national legal systems, making them legally binding rather than aspirational 

·       Forest governance: Strengthening legal protections and governance for Asia's remaining forests, which are critical for global climate regulation, biodiversity conservation and sustainable livelihoods

·       Sustainable critical minerals: Developing legal frameworks that ensure mineral extraction aligns with environmental justice and sustainability and supports rather than undermines conservation goals, particularly as demand grows for renewable energy technologies

·       Marine biodiversity conservation: Establishing robust and inclusive legal protections for Asia's coral reefs and marine ecosystems, which face mounting pressure from overfishing and climate change

Partnership-driven implementation

Success depends on strategic partnerships grounded in mutual respect, equity and local leadership. ClientEarth's approach emphasises co-creation with civil society organisations and IPLCs, supporting shared agenda-setting and locally led implementation.

The strategy includes clear accountability commitments: focusing on impact and innovation, creating environments for accountability, making transparent evidence-based decisions, maintaining professional standards, and building respectful, equitable partnerships.

The opportunity ahead

Asia's growing institutional openness to environmental reform creates an unprecedented opportunity for legal innovation in biodiversity protection.

By strengthening existing frameworks and building new legal pathways, this strategy can drive regional change with global impact, contributing to international climate and biodiversity goals while supporting local communities and ecosystems.

Join us

The next decade will determine whether Asia's extraordinary biodiversity survives and thrives for future generations. Through collaborative legal strategies, community partnership, and systemic reform, we can ensure that strong legal frameworks and local communities work together to protect this irreplaceable natural heritage.

Stay up to date with ClientEarth’s programme in Asia by signing up for our Asia Journal here and join us in advocating for stronger, more effective biodiversity protection policies across Asia.