Institute for Biodiversity Law and Policy

Stetson’s Institute for Biodiversity Law and Policy serves as an interdisciplinary focal point for education, research and service activities related to global, regional and local biodiversity issues. The institute coordinates courses, seminars and internships on a variety of topics, including wetland law and policy, environmental law, natural resources and international environmental law.

In addition to hosting international conferences and speakers, Stetson is home to the annual International Environmental Moot Court Competition, now in its 16th year, with preliminary competitions around the globe. Stetson has sponsored the International Wildlife Law Conference since 2007.

Interim Dean Royal Gardner serves as the institute’s director and is past chair of the U.S. National Ramsar Committee, which supports the goals of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands.

J.D. Certificate of Concentration

Stetson now offers a Certificate of Concentration in Environmental Law for select J.D. students. To earn the certificate, students must complete an approved experiential learning opportunity, participate in a mentoring component, fulfill pro bono service and writing requirements in environmental law, and complete at least 21 hours of prescribed environmental law courses with an average grade point average of at least 3.0. Certificate students also support the Stetson International Environmental Moot Court Competition, International Wildlife Law Conference and other Biodiversity Institute activities. » More information

Featured News from 2010-2011 Annual Report

• Two student editors of the Journal of International Wildlife Law & Policy, Andrew Celauro and Joseph Graham, prepared a white paper on “Advocacy in the Joint Venture Context” for a North American Waterfowl Management Plan workshop. They traveled to Winnipeg, Canada, to present their paper at the workshop, which included representatives from U.S. and Canadian government agencies and environmental organizations.
• Through a contract between The Conservation Fund and the College of Law, the Biodiversity Institute prepared 12 case studies on conservation banks. Conservation banking is a market- based mechanism to protect endangered species habitat. Two Stetson students and a recent graduate worked on the case studies, which ranged from a panther bank with reserved carbon credits in Florida to a salmon bank in the Pacific Northwest. The case studies are used as part of national training courses for federal regulators.
• Professor Paul Boudreaux also focused on endangered species, working with the Defenders of Wildlife as stakeholders in the creation of Florida’s new regulations concerning protections for imperiled species.

For more information about the Biodiversity Institute's activities, please see the 2010-2011 Annual Report (PDF).