Law, Ecology, and the Management of Complex Systems

This book addresses the role of law in the adaptive management of socio-ecological systems.

Recent  years have witnessed a rise in discussion over the relation between  adaptivity and law, as if after decades of insouciance, legal scholars  have finally started to understand the impacts of the scientific  paradigm called ‘adaptive management’ on the legal sphere. Even though  the complicated relations between law and the adaptive management of  socio-ecological systems have become more debated, a thorough  examination of the scientific and theoretical fundamentals of such  endeavours has yet to be presented. Using the illustrative example of  European Union water governance and its path toward embracing adaptive  management, this book emphasises the legal significance of properly  understanding the manner in which scientific knowledge of the  environment is produced. Though always pivotal, rigorously apprehending  science is especially crucial when dealing with the management of  complex ecosystems as the ‘normative’ is created gradually before law  begins to examine the ‘facts’ of the matter. After examining the roots  of adaptive management, this book argues that the legal needs to  understand itself as an integral part of the process of the  socio-ecological management of complex systems and not merely an  external umpire resolving disputes.

As a whole, the  book offers new insights into the EU regulator’s approaches to  scientific realities, making it an interesting read not only to  academics and legal scholars but also to regulators striving to deepen  their understanding or pondering which approach to adopt in the face of  new regulatory challenges, and to scientists interested in the science  and law aspects of their work.