The Natural Resources Law Group of the Faculty of Law, University of Oslo, is organising a three day-conference on the topic of the Rule of Law for Nature. It will take place in Oslo, Norway, on 9-11 May 2012.
The conference should draw attention for its necessarily broad approach to the general principles of international environmental law. In June 2012 will take place the Earth Summit 2012, back to Rio de Janeiro (http://www.earthsummit2012.org/). The year 2012 will also see the celebration of many conventions' anniversary, which makes the year timely for an assessment: 40th anniversary of the adoption of the Stockholm Declaration, 30th
anniversary of the UN World Charter for Nature and the UN Convention on the Law
of the Sea, 25th anniversary of the Brundtland Report, 20th
anniversary of both the Rio Declaration, Agenda 21, and the UNCED Conventions:
the Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Convention on Biological
Diversity.
The conference aims to draw particular attention at the general principles that form the basis of international environmental law:
"This is an appropriate point in time for reflection on the legal status of
nature, how environmental goods and services are valued and taken into account
in decision-making, and the implications of the rule of law in this respect. While the rule of law generally is used with regard to citizens’ rights, this
conference aims to explore the application of the rule of law to environmental
protection, and its implications. How can the legal protection of the natural
environment be strengthened? This also opens for reflections on the temporal and
geographical extension of the rule of law."
The conference is structured in 9 sessions:
- Fundamental issues in environmental law
- Ecosystem services and the ecosystem approach
- New principles in International Environmental Law
- New approaches in Environmental Decision-making
- Protection of the Marine Environment
- Perspectives from Developing Countries
- Environmental Protection in Corporate and Trade Law
- Rights and Ethics in Environmental Protection
- "Rule of Law for Nature": The Road Forward
The full programme, which is composed by a series of presentations by international researchers, is available here.
Website of the conference here. Deadline of registration: 1 April 2012.
Picture: H. v. Heussche
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