This book is published as part of the research project Criminal Justice, Wildlife Conservation and Animal Rights in the Anthropocene, which was funded by the Research Council Norway (2019–2023). It focused on the implementation and enforcement of two conventions; CITES, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (1975), and the Council of Europe’s Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats (1979), known as the Bern Convention. Chapters cover research relating to the conservation and protection of wildlife in the countries covered by the project—Norway, the UK, Germany and Spain—in addition to Poland, the Netherlands and Italy. A general finding is that human interest outweighs the protection that is accorded to wildlife, whether endangered or not, and that breaches of legislation relating to the conventions are given low priority.

This book addresses the recognition of the Rights of Nature (RoN) in Europe, examining their conceptualisation and implementation. RoN refers to a diverse set of legal developments that seek to redefine Nature’s status within the law, gradually emerging as a novel template for environmental protection. Given the diversity in interpretations and articulations of “Rights of Nature,” this edited volume argues that their arrival in Europe fosters different kinds of interactions across distinct areas of law, knowledge, practices, and societal domains. The book employs a multidisciplinary approach, exploring these interactions in law and policy, anthropology, Indigenous worldviews and jurisprudence, philosophy, spiritual traditions, critical theory, animal communication, psychology, and social work.

The book deals with topical issues in the ongoing process of harmonisation in the fields of environmental and energy law. Applying critical perspectives, the contributors address a broad array of issues ranging from more general concepts and processes of harmonisation to more specific applications with regard to the domains of environmental and energy law.

Europe still retains large areas which play host to numerous native and free-functioning ecosystems and lack roads, buildings, bridges, cables and other permanent manifestations of modern society. In the past such areas were considered wastelands, whose value lay only in their potential for cultivation and economic exploitation. Today, these wilderness areas are increasingly cherished as places for rest and recreation, and as important areas for scientific research, biodiversity conservation and the mitigation of and adaptation to certain climate change effects. This book provides the first major appraisal of the role of international, European and domestic law in protecting the remaining wilderness areas and their distinguishing qualities in Europe. It also highlights the lessons that can be learned from the various international, regional and national approaches, identifies obstacles to wilderness protection in Europe and considers whether and how the legal protection of wilderness can be further advanced.

The Yearbook of European Environmental Law is a joint venture between leading academics, practitioners, and Community officials. Academics and students will find a wealth of information in the stimulating and clearly written articles. The well-structured and reliable Annual Survey is specifically designed to provide easy access to the very latest developments in environmental law at the European level. Separate parts of the Yearbook are devoted to important policy documents and reviews of books.