Sustainable Management of Natural Resources

This book is the fifth volume in the European Environmental Law Forum (EELF) Book Series. The EELF is a non-profit initiative established by environmental law scholars and practitioners from across Europe aiming to support intellectual exchange on the development and implementation of international, European and national environmental law in Europe. One of the activities of the EELF is the organisation of an annual conference.

The fifth EELF Conference dedicated to ‘Sustainable Management of Natural Resources – Legal Instruments and Approaches’ was held in Copenhagen from the 30th of August to the 1st of September 2017 at the Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen, in collaboration with the Department of Law, Aarhus University.

This book is a collection of peer reviewed contributions addressing various legal aspects of sustainable management of natural resources. Natural resources are in this book understood in broad terms encompassing biodiversity, water, air and soil, as well as raw materials. Based on the contributions, it can be asserted that despite many efforts there is still a long way to go in order to achieve sustainable management of natural resources. Making ecosystem integrity ultimately the bottom-line for sustainable development requires not only dedication in the design and coherence of (environmental) legislation at international, EU and national level, but also a strong commitment to the implementation and enforcement of the legislation. Thus, it is necessary to carefully consider how different legal instruments and approaches may pave the way for the sustainable management of natural resources.

Birgitte Egelund Olsen is Professor of Law at the Department of Law, School of Business and Social Sciences, Aarhus University. She is also Chairman of the Danish Environment and Food Board of Appeal. Birgitte is specialised in energy, climate and environmental law, but has also written widely on issues of EU and WTO law and policy. During the past decade, she has in particular focused on issues of renewable energy and community acceptance and engagement.

Helle Tegner Anker is Professor of Law at the Department of Food and Resource Economics, Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen. She specialises in environmental and planning law covering a broad range of topics, including access to justice, environmental impact assessment, land use planning, nature protection, water quality and renewable energy with a particular focus on wind energy. Helle is a member of the Advisory Board of European Environmental Law Forum (EELF).