Policy Transfer Typology and Strategic Directions for Regional Adoption of the Global Biodiversity Framework

Background and objective: The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) provides a universal roadmap forbiodiversity conservation, yet regional strategies vary significantly in their adoption. Prior research has focused primarily onnational-level policies or descriptive accounts, offering limited insights into how subnational governments adopt andoperationalize GBF. This study addresses this gap by applying a quantitative, checklist-based evaluation and a policytransfer perspective to systematically classify and compare regional biodiversity strategies. Methods: Biodiversity strategies from ten cities and regions across Asia, Europe, North America, and Africa were analyzed. A scoring framework was applied across three criteria—GBF integration, policy implementation capacity, and regionalcontext reflection. Building policy transfer theory, adoption approaches were categorized into three typologies: Full Adoption,Selective Adoption, and Interpretive Adaptation. Results: The typology reveals clear trade-offs among international alignment, feasibility of implementation, and contextualadaptation. Full Adoption demonstrates strong alignment with global standards but requires substantial institutional andfinancial resources. Selective Adoption enhances flexibility and feasibility but risks weaker coherence. InterpretiveAdaptation fosters socio-ecological relevance and participation but limits comparability and international connectivity. Conclusion: By linking policy transfer theory with regional biodiversity strategies, this study moves beyond descriptivetypologies to demonstrate how global frameworks are adapted and reinterpreted in diverse governance contexts. Academically, it contributes empirical evidence of differentiated pathways in policy transfer. Practically, it providesactionable criteria and insights that regional policymakers can use to design LBSAPs tailored to institutional capacity andsocio-ecological conditions, balancing international comparability with local legitimacy.