The OECD has been investigating distributive issues related to environmental policy for some time now. This interest in distributive issues carried over to biodiversity policy and led to a number of publications on issues in access and benefit sharing (ABS). More recently, this has been broadened to look more generally at issues relating to costs and benefits of policies for biodiversity management. This work includes location-related (i.e. spatial) aspects of distributive issues as well as those aspects that influence the costs and benefits over time (i.e. inter-temporal aspects).

This workshop, organised by the OECD and hosted by the Government of Mexico, helped advance work on distributive issues relating to biodiversity and contribute better policy-making oriented to making biodiversity conservation compatible with economic growth.

The workshop concentrated on the impacts on individual groups of people (stakeholders). It examined the links between various actions (or inactions) undertaken to promote biodiversity, and the impacts on various groups. It also addressed the importance of protected areas management for distributive outcomes at the national and international levels.

Building on the discussions at the workshop, a publication was developed and relased in 2008 on "People and Biodiversity - Impacts, Issues and Strategie for Policy Action".