Professor Jessica Owley, Environmental Law Program director, attended the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity in Colombia, along with other members of the University of Miami Climate Resilience Academy. After 12 days of robust discussions among 170 delegations, the 16th Conference of the Parties under the Convention on Biological Diversity concluded with several landmark decisions, including first ever agreements on nature’s genetic data and on recognizing people of Africa descent and Indigenous Peoples as key stewards in conservation efforts.
Owley specializes in environmental law and property law, with a focus on climate change law and policy. She is a leading expert on private land conservation and conservation easements. Her interdisciplinary work explores ways to mitigate and adapt to climate change as well as furthering other environmental goals in the context of drastic change. Her work is cited widely and has received multiple awards, including most recently the 2019 Morrison Prize for sustainability research. She annually participates as an observer at the annual treaty negotiations for the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
She is the Editor in Chief of the Journal of Law, Property, and Society. She is one of the founding members and the current president of the Environmental Law Collaborative. She is a member of the IUCN’s World Commission on Environmental Law and the World Commission of Protected Areas.
