The concept of risk requires preventative measures aswell as measures of liability and redress in thecase that damage is actually caused. The CartagenaProtocol on Biosecurity limits itself in Article 27to the establishment of a mandate for theelaboration of norms and procedures in regard toliability and redress. The fulfillment of thismandate requires, first, a definition of the conceptof damage to the conservation and sustainable use ofbiological diversity; second, a survey of the extentof damage to health; and, third, the considerationof socio-economic aspects. In this context, thisarticle analyzes the concept of damage in theinternational instruments that deal with thismaterial, taking into account levels ofimplantation. The article concludes by presenting adefinition of damage for use in the context of thedevelopment of the content of Article 27, using anadministrative focus in regard to the concept ofdamage for civil liability in domestic law.