Law and Ecology

The Rise of the Ecosystem Regime

In 1970 Earth Day was first celebrated marking the dawn of worldwide environmental consciousness and the passing of many environmental laws. In part, these events were the result of the maturing of the science of ecology which recognized the interdependence of the web and cycles of nature. This volume explores the relationship between ecology and environmental law, beginning with a description of the two very different disciplines. This description is followed by a history of their episodic interactions: the early period of origin, the mid-century formative period from 1950 to 1970, the initial serious period of interaction after Earth Day in 1970 and the testing of the relationship during the next two decades. Utilizing a number of case studies, examinations of the key 'linkage persons', legal instruments and the migration of ecological concepts and frameworks, this book analyzes the final flowering of an ecosystem regime which embraces the connections between the two disciplines of ecology and environmental law. Concluding with an inventory of the problems posed by the relationship between the two disciplines and an agenda for future research, this clearly structured, comprehensive and stringent book is an essential resource for all serious scholars and students of ecology and environmental law.