Description
The global proliferation of Environmental Protection Agencies (EPAs) reflects a growing institutionalisation of nature protection within state apparatuses. Yet, their design and function are deeply embedded in and shaped by international political contestations and postcolonial legacies. This paper critically examines the role of EPAs as actors in the world politics of nature, drawing on a comparative analysis of agencies in Ireland, Sweden, and New Zealand to inform debates around the potential establishment of an EPA in Northern Ireland.
Rather than treating EPAs as technocratic solutions, the paper interrogates their embeddedness in broader governance regimes, including the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and nature-based solutions discourse. It explores how EPAs mediate tensions between ecological imperatives and political interests, and how their legitimacy is constructed through legal independence, enforcement capacity, and public engagement. The inclusion of New Zealand’s EPA foregrounds indigenous governance and multispecies justice, challenging dominant epistemologies of nature and sovereignty.
The analysis reveals how institutional models are not merely transferable templates but are shaped by geopolitical histories, environmental priorities, and contested notions of authority. The paper argues that designing an EPA for Northern Ireland requires navigating these global-local tensions, particularly in a post-Brexit context where environmental governance is increasingly fragmented.
By situating EPA design within critical IR debates on global environmental governance, the paper contributes to a more reflexive understanding of how institutions both reflect and reproduce power relations in the protection of nature.
