Abstract
The negative impact of climate change on biodiversity will continue to escalate rapidly. While some species will naturally migrate to more suitable areas or adapt to the new climatic environmental conditions in different fashions, for others doing so may prove to be problematic or impossible. Against this backdrop, scientists and environmentalists have proposed implementing plans for Assisted Migration (AM)—meaning the translocation of plants and animals to areas outside their natural habitats to conserve their species under the new emerging climatic conditions. This article seeks to identify legal approaches towards AM considering not only possible benefits from using this tool but also a necessity to minimize related risks. With regard to its stated purpose, this article also compares legal and policy documents relevant to AM issues from the United States, Australia, and the European Union. In conclusion, we have found, and this article shows, that while existing legal and policy documents leave room for manoeuvreing in regard to climate-related translocations and even sometimes explicitly mention AM as a possible tool for conservation, there exists a need for the further development of concrete legal mechanisms and their balancing with the predominant ideas and goals brought about by the necessity to protect native biota.
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Notes
In the table, Australian regulation at a state level is limited to the NSW Translocation Operational Policy, the EU experience at a level of its member states is limited to the example of Finland.
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Acknowledgements
I would like to thank my supervisors Distinguished Professor of the Research Institute of Environmental Law (RIEL) of Wuhan University, Emeritus Professor of Sydney Law School Ben Boer, Associate Professor of the RIEL of Wuhan University Liu Jing, Professor of the RIEL of Wuhan University, Professor of the China Institute of Boundary and Ocean Studies of Wuhan University Otto Spijkers as well as Professor of School of International Law at the Southwest University of Political Science and Law Alexander Zahar for their guidance and constant support. I am grateful to the reviewers of the manuscript for their comments and suggestions. The research leading to these results has received funding from China Scholarship Council (CSC), CSC # 2018GXZ016668 (PhD project).
Funding
The research leading to these results received funding from China Scholarship Council (CSC), CSC # 2018GXZ016668 (PhD project).
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Lavrik, M. Current Conservation Regimes and the Road to Laws on Assisted Migration. Environmental Management 69, 1186–1201 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-022-01629-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-022-01629-4