Welcome to the National Environmental Law Association
Posted February 20th, 2007 by administratorMembership of the National Environmental Law Association of Australia (NELA) offers an effective way for practitioners and students to keep pace with developments in environmental law and policy maintaining a multi-disciplinary perspective.
Upcoming events
2010 NELA National Conference: The Politics of Biodiversity
20-23 October 2010 - Canberra
2010 is the International Year of Biodiversity and NELA will be holding its National Conference in Australia's Capital.
This will be a unique opportunity to hear challenging presentations on the politics of preserving the world's biodiversity for future generations.
The 2010 Conference will be held at the historic University House, the ceremonial heart of the Australian National University. Opened in 1954 by His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh as the first building on the campus of the newly-formed Australian National University, University House was home to the research students and professors of the University at the time. Set in tranquil gardens with heritage-listed architecture and decor, University House has a history rich in academic prestige and ceremony.
An exciting program is being developed featuring eminent speakers and further details will be released as they become available.
Make a diary note now ... and check the NELA website for updates and opportunities to participate, or contact the NELA Secretariat. Register your interest in the conference by emailing nelaaust@ozemail.com.au to receive regular updates.
News
Climate Change Law: Comparative, Contractual and Regulatory Considerations - Edited by Gumley and Daya-Winterbottom
This book brings together recent work on the law of climate change in Australia and New Zealand by leading environmental law practitioners and academics. It provides practical and insightful perspectives on the rapidly emerging market-based framework for regulation of climate change in Oceania.
This valuable collection originates from the highly successful 2008 NELA National Conference which was strongly supported by many participants from the RMLA.
Order your copy of Climate Change Law: Comparative, Contractual and Regulatory Considerations now through the book's publisher Thomson Reuters.
Young NELA
Young NELA is a committee of the National Environmental Law Association focussed on serving the interests of young practitioners and students across Australia who specialise in law, planning, natural resources and any other profession involved with the environment. Young NELA was officially launched by His Honour Judge Alan Wilson of the Queensland District Court at a function on Friday 6 March 2009 in Brisbane. Launches have also been held in Victoria, Western Australia and NSW.
Please contact Andrea Towson, Young NELA National Convenor on (03) 9229 9642, or the NELA Secretariat if you are interested in becoming a member of Young NELA or would like to assist in your State. The Young NELA email address is youngnela@nela.org.au
NELA STRATEGIC PLAN
The NELA Executive has developed a new Strategic Plan for NELA for 2009-2012. This Strategic Plan is important as it defines what NELA is and gives us the pointers for moving the organisation forward as a whole. The overall vision of NELA hasn't changed in this iteration of the Plan. NELA is "the leader in the development of environmental law to promote the conservation and sustainable use of the environment across all Australian jurisdictions in accordance with internationally recognized principles". Click on the link below to access a copy of the NELA Strategic Plan 2009-2012.
RMLA Publications
Posted October 22nd, 2008 by administratorNELA members can click on the link to access recent issues of the RMLA Newsletter.
Environment Institute of Australia & New Zealand (EIANZ)
Posted July 23rd, 2008 by administratorThe essentials for environmental experts – this course for all environmental and legal practitioners was held on 28 and 29 May 2009.
For more information about this certification program, visit www.cenvp.org or contact the organizers: mbairdadmin@wentworthchambers.com.au
NELA's International Linkages
Posted March 5th, 2007 by administratorIn line with its objective of promoting an understanding of the role of environmental law in Australia, the National Environmental Law Association is also actively working to develop relationships with similar organisations overseas in an endeavour to build NELA's international profile.
NELA currently enjoys a strong relationship with the Resource Management Law Association of New Zealand (RMLA) which was strengthened in 2008 following agreement of both Associations to sign a Memorandum of Understanding to outline our approach to reciprocal membership rights across the organisations, and provide some guidelines around publishing articles in our respective journals. The MoU signals the beginning of a much deeper relationship with the RMLA at an Executive level as well as opening up some dialogue amongst the membership of both bodies. As an immediate result of this relationship between the two organisations, NELA Members are being offered a special subscription rate to purchase Volume 5 of the RMLA's Resource Management Theory & Practice which became available in November 2008. The aim of the journal is to provide a vehicle for in-depth analysis of resource management issues relevant to the New Zealand and Australian scene. Volume 5 focuses on the impacts of socio-economic and scientific change on resource management.
Information about the work of RMLA, access to its newsletters and an order form for the Resource Management Theory & Practice journal can be found at www.rmla.org.nz. (Order form can also be accessed via the link below.)
NELA is a member of the IUCN, the World Conservation Union, one of the 39 members in the OCEANIA region, and a member of the Australian Committee for IUCN which is located in Sydney. IUCN has a membership of more than 1,000 organisations from 147 countries spread across its eight statutory regions. The largest group of members represents non-governmental bodies, with other members representing government organisations and affiliates. NELA receives regular journals and information on the work of IUCN.
An update of IUCN Oceania's programs and activities for January to September 2009 is now available for download on the IUCN Oceania website: www.iucn.org/about/union/secretariat/offices/oceania/oro_programmes/.
IUCN will be well represented at the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change to be held in Copenhagen from 7-18 December 2009. The IUCN places great importance on this meeting and will be well-represented there. It is striving to ensure that nature-based solutions are incorporated into a post-2012 agreement to mitigate climate change and adapt to the impacts that cannot now be avoided. A copy of a memo sent to IUCN members can be accessed through the link at the bottom of this page, or you can access the link to the IUCN webpage on Copenhagen at: .http://www.iucn.org/unfccc/events/copenhagen/
Further afield, links are being developed between NELA and the American and Canadian Bar Associations through their respective sections on environment, energy and resources. NELA President, Robyn Glindemann, has had discussions with relevant executives in both organisations and there was universal interest in developing links between the CBA, ABA and NELA. Initially, these links will be fairly simple, for example linking websites and exchanging relevant information about environmental laws and law reform between our groups. But the intention is for the relationship to grow over time and may include things like providing articles for publication in our respective journals. As evidence of these developing relationships, Robyn Glindemann recently travelled to Ottawa, Canada to attend and give a keynote address at the Air Quality and Climate Change Summit co-hosted by the Canadian Bar Association's National Environmental, Energy and Resources Law Section and the American Bar Association's Section of Environment, Energy and Resources. NELA President Robyn Glindemann recently contributed an editorial to the ABA Section of Environment, Energy and Resources bi-monthly newsletter. Click on the link below to read Robyn's article.
