Environmental law

Fewer than 11% of CBD Parties have adopted substantive ABS law, and nearly all of these are developing countries, focusing almost entirely on the ‘access’ side of the equation. Most of the CBD’s specific ABS obligations, however, relate to the other side of the equation – benefit sharing. This book considers the full range of ABS obligations, and how existing tools in user countries’ national law can be used to achieve the CBD’s third objective.

This book provides a systematic analysis of the requirements of access law, both the CBD requirements and the basic requirements of enforceable legislation. Often key legal issues that have a significant impact on enforceability of ABS agreements are not addressed in national legislation, therefore, this book addresses these issues with the aim to recognize and understand the nature of the legal impediments that must be addressed for the drafting of functional ABS legislation.

Central America is a region that shares ecosystems, river basins, and protected areas. The development of projects, plans or activities likely to produce transboundary impacts need to be appropriately considered, and an EIA process established and anchored in regional policies and legislation. This book, analyses the relevant initiatives on transboundary EIA in the world, and advances the basic elements of a regional agreement on EIA in a transboundary context for Central America.

This volume, the proceedings of the IUCN Academy of Environmental Law 2004 Nairobi Colloquium, surveys global experience in implementing land use policies along the sustainable development continuum. Some chapters discuss the challenges of implementing sustainable land use policies in different regions, revealing problems common to all jurisdictions and highlighting other more unique obstacles to sustainability.

The African Convention on the conservation of nature and natural resources was adopted in 1968 in Algiers. Considered the most forward looking regional agreement of the time, it influenced significantly the development of environmental law in Africa. Two and a half decades of intense developments in international environmental law made it necessary to revise this treaty, update its provisions and enlarge its scope.

This publication, prepared in cooperation with the oil industry’s Exploration Production Forum, sets out the oil exploration process, describes the potential environmental consequences of exploration and recommends measures for the prevention or minimization of adverse impacts. The material is based on the experience of IUCN’s Environmental Assessment Service.

Judges play a critical role in the development, enforcement and compliance with environmental law. To showcase the role of the judiciary in upholding the rule of law, IUCN organized a “Judiciary Day” at its 2004 World Conservation Congress in Bangkok. This publication contains papers and speeches covering some of the cutting-edge themes that were discussed.