At the University of Miami School of Law, professor Jessica Owley continues to redefine the intersection of environmental protection and legal frameworks. Her recent scholarship highlights a dual focus: the conceptual evolution of how we view our environment and the pragmatic, often overlooked mechanisms of wildlife conservation.
In her latest collaborative piece, "Environmental Geography and Law: Toward a Synthesis" (99 Tul. L. Rev. 811, 2025), Owley and her co-authors argue for a paradigm shift. For too long, law and geography have operated in silos. Owley suggests that by synthesizing these fields, we can create legal structures that better reflect the physical realities of the land they govern. This synthesis is vital for addressing modern crises like climate change, where static legal boundaries often fail to account for shifting ecological borders.
Turning her attention to the ocean, Owley recently co-authored "The Ironically Important Role that Incidental Take Authorizations Play in Whale Conservation" (44 Stan. Envtl. L.J. 167, 2025). Working alongside Kenneth Broad and Alexander Carbaugh-Rutland, Owley explores the Incidental Take Authorization (ITA), a permit that technically allows for the "accidental" harm of protected species during lawful activities like offshore wind construction or shipping.
The central irony of these permits is that while they ostensibly authorize harm, they function as the primary mechanism for forcing industries to monitor their environmental impact and implement rigorous mitigation strategies. Owley argues that these "licenses to harm" are actually indispensable tools for whale conservation; without them, we would lack both the critical data and the legal accountability necessary to protect whale populations within busy industrial corridors.
Owley is a leading expert in land conservation and environmental law. Her work frequently bridges the gap between theoretical academic research and the practical tools used by conservationists on the ground. At Miami Law, she oversees the Environmental Law Program.
