Register here

for the online workshop series on March 11 and June 3, 2022

The second workshop will focus on biodiversity litigation in the Global South and will be held on 11 March 2022. Six presentations are sought.

The exemplary research questions are but not limited to:

  • Is socio-biodiversity litigation in the Global South influenced by legal development in the area of ‘rights of nature’?
  • What is the institutional framework or channels for biodiversity litigation in a jurisdiction?
  • Who are the main actors in biodiversity litigation/conservation and what are their legal prerogatives and obligations?
  • Is transnational biodiversity discernible in your jurisdiction?
  • Do the litigants use the notion ‘right of nature’ before the court and how do they frame the concept?
  • How is the loss of social-biodiversity in the South be linked to legal actions in the ‘Global North’?
  • Extraterritorial obligations, corporate accountability, rights of future generations

We welcome short papers’ abstracts from scholars and practitioners who have an interest/experience in biodiversity litigation at the EU level or in the Global South. Please kindly submit a 400-word proposal and affiliation details via e-mail to Mingzhe Zhu.

Deadline for submissions: 1 February 2022.

Date

Friday, 11 March 2022

18.00 – 22.00 (Beijing); 16.00 - 19.30 (New Delhi); 13.00 - 17.00 (Nairobi); 12.00 - 16.00 (Johannesburg); 11.00 - 15.00 (Paris); 7.00 - 11.00 (Brasilia); 6.00 - 10.00 (Buenos Aires); 5.00 - 9.00 (Bogota)

Programme

11.00 – 11.30 CET
Welcome Mingzhe Zhu & warm up section (UAntwerp)

Panel I    Biodiversity Litigation in Asia

11.30 - 12.30 CET
Chair: Jona Razzaque (UWE Bristol)
Speakers: 

  • Jinmei Liu (Friends of Nature) Case analysis of Chinese preventive environmental public interest litigation
  • Rika Fajrini (Indonesian Center for Environmental Law) Providing remedies for biodiversity through conservation litigation: The case of Indonesia
  • Stellina Jolly (South Asian University) Evolving an Eco-centric Approach in Biodiversity Protection
  • Nabeela Siddiqui & Bhupinder Singh (CHRIST Deemed to be University) Conflicting between Environment vs Religion: A tale of River Ganges in India  

Panel II    Biodiversity Litigation in Africa

12.30 - 13.30 CET
Chair: Qianru Ma (Greenpeace East Asia)
Speakers: 

  • Anne Mumbi Njoroge (Natural Justice) Has Socio-biodiversity Litigation in Kenya been Influenced by Legal Development in the Area of ‘Rights of Nature’ 
  • Jacqueline Rukanda (Defending Rights) An analysis of biodiversity litigation in South Africa: The re-awakening of the notion of the rights of nature in community litigation 
  • Chancia Ivala Plaine (University of Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne) The African Judge Facing the Protection of Biodiversity 

 Discussants: Hang Zhou (Chr. Michelsen Institute)

Coffee/Lunch/Diner Break (30 minutes) 

Panel III    Biodiversity Litigation in Latin America

14.00 - 15.00 CET
Chair: Mingzhe Zhu (UAntwerp)
Speakers: 

  • Carina Costa de Oliveira (University of Brasília) Biodiversity litigation in Brazil as a Strategic Tool to Ensure the Effectiveness of Biodiversity Protection 
  • Paulo Ilich Bacca (Centre for the Study of Law, Justice and Society, Dejusticia) Indigenizing International Law through Biodiversity Litigation 
  • Maria Antonia Tigre (Sabin Center for Climate Change Law, Columbia University) Intersections between Biodiversity Litigation and Climate Litigation: lessons for Latin America

Discussants: Sara Seck (Dalhousie University) 

Closing Remarks

  • Zhe Yao (China Dialogue)
  • Guillaume Futhazar (Max Planck Institute)

Registration

Participation for the online workshop series on biodiversity litigation is free of charge, but online registration is necessary.

Organizer

dr. Mingzhe Zhu

​​Next session​

June 3, 2022