2020 IEEE/ACM International Conference on Advances in Social Networks Analysis and Mining (ASONAM) IEEE/ACM ASONAM 2020, December 7-10, 2020 978-1-7281-1056-1/20/$31.00 © 2020 IEEE Dynamics of the international environmental treaties - perspectives for future cooperation Andreea NITA Centre for Environmental Research and Impact Studies University of Bucharest Bucharest, Romania andreea.nita@cc.unibuc.ro Laurentiu ROZYLOWICZ Centre for Environmental Research and Impact Studies University of Bucharest Bucharest, Romania laurentiu.rozylowicz@g.unibuc.ro Abstract - International treaties and multilateral agreements are undoubtedly based on networks, which, considering the magnitude of the environmental issues or resources conflicts that we are facing, become complex networks. Implementing a strategy that easily integrates all these problems is particularly difficult to develop or apply, and the disengagement has no way to help. To achieve successful environmental governance is only possible with the involvement of all parties or stakeholders. This paper illustrates the evolution of the cooperation network established between the international parties that ratified the most important environmental treaties at international level discussing transboundary issues. By applying a network analysis perspective, we explore the dynamics of the cooperation considering 3-time intervals, namely: collaboration for the implementation of the treaties before 1990 (1), before 2000 (2), and before 2020 (i.e., the cooperation established so far within the most common environmental agreements). We further examine the network structure by investigating the core- periphery model, which shows the current situation in terms of level of involvement in the ratification and application of the principles of the international environmental treaties established. Our findings suggest that a complex and more functional system is needed to manage both common biodiversity resources and solve existing transboundary environmental conflicts. Keywords—Environmental treaties, core, periphery, cooperation, fragmentation I. INTRODUCTION Improving the quality of the environment and preserving natural resources for future generations has been a priority subject of national policies in the last centuries. Cooperation between states started in the 1800s with a bilateral environmental agreement between Austria and Switzerland [1, 2]. From then on, international environmental agreements have become an increasingly frequent solution to solve stringent transboundary environmental problems that required urgent action and collective environmental governance [3]. The large number of such multinational agreements is a result of a more cooperative world and the severity of environmental issues and the increasingly degraded environment worldwide [1]. These treaties have helped reduce several environmental issues, but because the demand for resources is soaring, our society still faces stringent global environmental problems such as climate changes, land-use change, species extinction, excessive pollution, and massive deforestation [4]. Over the last decade, scientific research shows that the optimal solution for better environmental governance and management relies on collaboration between institutions and stakeholders at multiple scales, from local to regional, national and international [5, 6]. Nevertheless, research articles are paying particular attention to the socio-ecological perspective and the collaboration patterns to implement good practices in environmental issues [7]. Social network analysis represents a well-developed research field and uses network theory to analyze the (random or not) relationships between nodes or vertices [8]. These types of analyses have been used in a wide range of disciplines, including the investigation of networks involved in environmental conservation and management [9-11]. Environmental treaties are arenas of collaboration between states, the latter sending and receiving information or, respectively, jointly carrying out activities with a common purpose. This is the way most of the international protocols or treaties can be seen as: “communities” [12] with the same goal or as networks, considering that they can be defined as: “a combination of two or more actors that repeatedly interact, exchange relations, and resolve disputes between actors” [1, 13]. Furthermore, these types of research perspectives contribute to the analysis of collaboration for complex structures in order to approach or define influence in a network setting [14]. Thus, the investigation of the treaties cooperation can lead to finding out some structural features that can offer advice for improvement and, respectively, ways to overcome existing barriers in effective environmental management and collaborative impact minimization [3]. However, the gap between the legislative and implementation part of the environmental treaties is being discussed as the main cause of This research was supported by a grant of the Romanian National Authority for Scientific Research (https ://uefiscdi.gov.ro), PN-III-P1-1.1-TE- 2019-1039. 549