Landscape: a Fresh Perspective on the Challenges of Environmental Law

Brodies LLP in partnership with Edinburgh Law School present:

Landscape: a Fresh Perspective on the Challenges of Environmental Law 

Speaker: Dr Victoria Jenkins, Associate Professor Hillary Rodham Clinton School of Law, Swansea University

Abstract:

Landscape is a term with which we instinctively have some familiarity. It is often associated with the ‘special landscapes’ that are protected by law. Certainly, lawyers themselves usually relate the significance of landscape to law in these narrow terms. ‘Special landscapes’ may exist in the wilderness or form part of spectacular scenery, but landscape is important everywhere in creating the canvas on which our lives are played out. A rich multi-disciplinary literature in landscape studies reveals significant depth to the idea of landscape and explains how this notion informs our understanding of natural heritage and the way this relates to cultural concerns. This provides a fresh perspective from which environmental lawyers can contemplate the connections between human development and ecological challenges. This lecture will explore these issues and the possible implications for the relevant legal architectures.

About the Speaker:

Dr Victoria Jenkins is an Associate Professor at the Hillary Rodham Clinton School of Law, Swansea University. Her research interests lie in environmental law and she began her career focusing on legal approaches to sustainable development. More recently her research has centred on landscape, land use planning and nature conservation. She is particularly interested in local perspectives and the impact of devolution on environmental protection in Wales.

Victoria is also co-convenor of the United Kingdom Environmental Law Association, Wales Working Party (UKELA WWP). This group aims to bring together academics, legal practitioners, non-governmental organisations and others with an interest in environmental protection. UKELA WWP has acted as important stakeholder in the creation of new legal frameworks for planning and environmental law in Wales. Victoria represented this group on the Future Landscapes Working Group that recently reviewed the way designated landscapes operate in Wales.  

Event Link

This event is free and open to all but registration is required.