Wildlife and Welfare:
Animal Law in Theory and Practice  |   Saturday, March 26, 2022

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Join the U.S.-Asia Partnerships for Environmental Law and the Animal Law and Policy Institute as we bring together experts from around the globe.

Schedule:

Panel 1: Global, National, Local Animal Law: Opportunities and Obstacles

The first panel Global, National, Local Animal Law: Opportunities and Obstacles featured panelists discussing proposed international treaties, the plight of captive wildlife, and connections between efforts to protect humans and animals.

Joan Schaffner, Associate Professor of Law at the George Washington University Law School, shared the history of international animal welfare efforts, and discussed the Convention on Animal Protection (CAP), an international umbrella treaty, to protect public health, animal welfare, the environment. The treaty would enact care and treatment standards for domestic animals, captive animals, and wildlife. Fundamental principles include the recognition of our interdependence, that animals have intrinsic value, we have an ethical obligation toward all animals, and to ensure animals’ wellbeing through suitable environments and appropriate care.  

Delcianna Winders, VLS Associate Professor of Law and Director of the Animal Law and Policy Institute at Vermont Law School discussed the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species of Fauna and Flora (CITES) and the Endangered Species Act (ESA). She discussed captive animal welfare and the connection to conservation, highlighting that most captive animals—including those who are captive bred--cannot be released into the wild, and ultimately undermine conservation efforts. Professor Winders also discussed efforts and accomplishments of sanctuaries accredited by the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries.
 

Qian Yefang, Professor of Economics and Law at Zhongnan University, shared her research that is focused on social law, labor law and social security law, and animal law.

Panel 2: Comparative Wildlife Law: China, Australia, EU

The second panel featured speakers from China, Australia and the EU to discuss Comparative Wildlife Law where experts shared the histories, overviews, challenges, and recent accomplishments in environmental and animal law in these legal systems.

Huiyu Zhao (Joy), Associate professor of environmental and natural resource law at Koguan School of Law, Shanghai Jiao tong University and visiting professor of law at the University of Maryland and Vermont Law School, discussed Research on Public Interest Litigation by Procurators in China. She shared the history of the Wildlife Protection Law of the People’s Republic of China, and the latest legislative change to Break the Bad Habit of Excessive Consumption of Wild Animals, and Effectively Secure the Life and Health of the People. She also provided an overview of animal protection legislation and litigation efforts.

Deborah Cao, Professor at Griffith University in Australia, is a legal scholar and linguist. She is a leader in the areas of animal law and animal ethics and welfare in China, and of legal translation in Chinese legal language and culture. Professor Cao provided an overview of animal law in Australia, discussed many of the problems in wildlife protection, and shared a wealth of resources.

Alice DiConcetto, Founder of The European Institute for Animal Law & Policy and lecturer in European animal law at the Sorbonne Law School and Sciences Po Law School, and Mila Arabadzhieva, student at Sorbonne Law School and intern at the European Institute for Animal Law & Policy, shared that while wildlife in Europe is relatively scarce compared to other continents, they experience many similar challenges for survival. They discussed the intersection of environmental and animal laws, and protections for wildlife and for wild animals in captivity.