Elizabeth De Santo is Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies at Franklin & Marshall College, Department of Earth and Environment. She is a human geographer with training in environmental law, history of international relations, environmental management, and marine zoology. Elizabeth's teaching and research focus on marine conservation and environmental governance, critically examining: (1) the efficacy of spatial approaches to conserving marine species and habitats, and (2) mechanisms for improving the science-policy interface in environmental decision-making. She is particularly interested in the challenges of effectively implementing Marine Protected Areas and biodiversity conservation worldwide. Prior to joining F&M, Elizabeth taught in the Marine Affairs Program and College of Sustainability at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. She has also held positions with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the World Environment Center, consultancies with the Office of the Auditor General of Canada and the Institute for European Environmental Policy, and she is a member of the IUCN World Commission on Environmental Law. She holds a PhD in Geography (co-supervised in Laws) from University College London, an MSc in the History of International Relations from the London School of Economics and Political Science, a Masters of Environmental Management from Duke University, and a BA in Zoology from Connecticut College.
F&M College Invited Common Hour Talk on "Unravelling Teddy Roosevelt's Legacy: America's National Monuments Under Threat" (30 November 2017)
In the news
- Op-Ed in The Hill (4 June 2018) Why We Should Care About the Bottom of the Ocean.
- How to Save the High Seas - quoted in Nature news feature (9 May 2018) by Olive Heffernan.
- Troubled Waters: To Protect Ocean Life, Marine Reserves Have to be Redrawn Based on Science - quoted in Scientific American (February 2018) by Olive Heffernan.
- Get your research off the shelf and into policy: Writing reports and briefs that influence decision-making - interview in Marine Ecosystems and Management (MEAM) with the Environmental Information: Use and Influence (EIUI) team, by Sarah Carr (5 December 2017).
- National Monuments need protection, Environmental Studies Professor Says - F&M News story by Greg Wright (30 November 2017).
- Research Takes Senior, Professor to Bonn UN Conference on Biodiversity - F&M News story by Peter Durantine (27 March 2017) on our participation in the 5th IPBES Plenary.
- Coverage in The Guardian: Hawaii and other big marine protected areas 'could work against conservation (2 September 2016).
- The race for vast, remote 'marine protected areas' may be a diversion. The Conversation (1 September 2016).
- Planning for equity and social justice in ocean use - interview in Marine Ecosystems and Management (MEAM) newsletter, June 2016.
- Bringing science and scholarship to public policy - Dalhousie News story by Marie Visca (30 October 2015) on Environmental Information: Use and Influence (EIUI) research project.
- Initiative: Diving for Sea Turtles, Launching a Career - F&M News story by Peter Durantine (20 October 2015) profiling my student's research internship examining the foraging ecology of turtles in California.
- Interviewed by Peter Durantine in F&M News (11 November 2013) about using an exhibit of Hudson River School paintings to teach students about the evolution of environmental ethics: At F&M's Phillips Museum, An Exhibit for All Seasons.
- Interviewed by Sher Scott in Dalhousie News (10 April 2013) about using simulations in teaching environmental governance: Negotiated Learning: Simulating an International Environment Convention.
- Nature news feature Ocean conservation: Uncertain sanctuary discusses some of the findings of the Governing MPAs report (Jones, Qiu, and De Santo, 2011).
- Interviewed by Katie McDonald in Dalhousie News (30 May 2011): Scientists Urge Greater Protection of Marine Preserves – Dalhousie Oceans Week June 1-8.
- Interviewed by John Davis in MPA News (Vol. 12, No. 6, May-June 2011): Finding the Balance: Strengthening MPA Governance by Mixing Top-Down, Bottom-Up and Other Approaches.
- WikiLeaked cable on Chagos MPA reveals “fortress” conservation mindset. Letter to the Editor, MPA News (Vol. 12, No. 4, Jan-Feb 2011).
Blogs
The legacy of the Chagos MPA in international law (March 20, 2015)
The future of ocean conservation (June 26, 2014)
Why the legality of the Chagos MPA matters (May 1, 2014)
FADs for marine conservation? (January 30, 2014)
While we're on the topic of large, no-take MPAs... (October 25, 2013)
The future of ocean conservation (June 26, 2014)
Why the legality of the Chagos MPA matters (May 1, 2014)
FADs for marine conservation? (January 30, 2014)
While we're on the topic of large, no-take MPAs... (October 25, 2013)