The Australasian Journal of Natural Resources Law and Policy: Editorial

Abstract

This special issue of the Australasian Journal of Natural Resources Law and Policy contains five papers relating broadly to the topic of designing policy instruments for biodiversity conservation. Four of the papers (Adam, I Beeton et al, Burgman et aP and Whelan et al ) had their genesis at a symposium on Threatened Species and the Law held at the Ecological Society of Australia (ESA) Conference in Brisbane in 2005, one part of a larger project examining intersections between science and law in the context of threatened species legislation, supported by the Australian Research Council. This symposium was specifically designed to explore the increasing interaction of natural scientists with environmental lawyers and legal systems. Scientists sit on scientific committees, constituted by legislation, which advise on listing decisions (and in NSW, actually make the ~ecisions). They appear in courts, giving expert evidence on the likely environmental impact of proposed development on species and ecosystems. Research ecologists are increasingly involved in the development of environmental policy through legislation