Research overview
My research focuses on environmental governance in two related areas: (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. I am particularly interested in the challenges of effectively implementing Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and biodiversity conservation worldwide.
I am currently working on a new book: Geopolitics and Marine Protected Areas: Security, Social Justice, and Science, under contract with Routledge, forthcoming in 2022.
Research themes (scroll down for more info and related publications- for a full chronological list of all publications, including reports and book reviews, see the Publications page, and fo):
I am tracking the development of a new agreement under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, focusing on the conservation and sustainable management of marine biodiversity. This instrument has four parts: (i) marine genetic resources; (ii) area based management tools, including marine protected areas (MPAs); (iii) environmental impact assessments; and (iv) capacity building and technology transfer. I have been examining implications for MPAs in offshore areas based on experiences from regional fisheries management organizations, and I am also interested in what lessons can be learned from existing legislation on access and benefit sharing closer to shore for the genetic components of biodiversity for resources in the high seas and on the deep seabed. Collaborators: Beth Mendenhall (URI), Liz Nyman (Texas A&M) and Rachel Tiller (SINTEF Ocean, Norway).
Building on my previous work examining "fortress conservation" in the Chagos Archipelago, I am examining geopolitical motivations for designating MPAs in overseas territories of the US, UK and France that are either currently militarized, have experienced military activity in the past, or which may be important for geopolitical purposes and/or securing resources in the future. I have also been tracking the growth of large-scale MPAs globally in response to international biodiversity targets.
This project is examining the UK government's recent public consultation process for designating Marine Conservation Zones (MCZs), focusing on two aspects: (i) how well it is including stakeholders in the process, following requirements set out under the Aarhus Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-Making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters, and (ii) understanding the role of "evidence" in MPA site selection and designation, including the structure and function of scientific assessment, as well as problems with inconsistent standards. My previous research on UK conservation (including my PhD) examined how the UK implemented European Union legislation in offshore areas. I am now tracking how Brexit will affect UK MCZ planning and the future of UK marine conservation.
Established in 2012, the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) will provide advice and expertise to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in an analogous role to that of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) for the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). This nascent project is examining how political decisions are taken in situations of scientific uncertainty, and the specific challenges of governing biodiversity, with a focus on marine ecosystems.
Environmental Information: Use and Influence (EIUI, link to project website)
This interdisciplinary research initiative is examining the use and influence of environmental information produced by government agencies, intergovernmental bodies, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in environmental decision-making. Globally, the volume of information on environmental issues continues to grow rapidly. Yet many environmental problems persist, suggesting that significant barriers exist between information production and its use in timely and effective policy action. With financial support from the Canadian Federal Government, this project is focusing on case studies from a range of partner organizations. Collaborators: Bertrum MacDonald (School of Information Management), Peter Wells (School for Resource and Environmental Studies), and Kevin Quigley (School of Public Administration), all at Dalhousie University.
This study is examining governance aspects of MPAs to improve long-term effectiveness, drawing on an analysis of five categories of incentives: legal, economic, participative, interpretative and knowledge-based. This interdisciplinary analysis draws on insights from conservation biology, recommending a complex network of governing incentives and institutions (mirroring the complex network of trophic relationships present in natural systems). Collaborator: Peter J.S. Jones and Wanfei Qiu, Department of Geography, UCL.
Teaching with Technology (2011-2013)
With support from Dalhousie's Center for Teaching and Learning, my Sustainability co-instructor (Matthew Schnurr) and I examined the effectiveness of both in-person and web-based simulation techniques for teaching the complexities of global environmental governance.
I am currently working on a new book: Geopolitics and Marine Protected Areas: Security, Social Justice, and Science, under contract with Routledge, forthcoming in 2022.
Research themes (scroll down for more info and related publications- for a full chronological list of all publications, including reports and book reviews, see the Publications page, and fo):
- Governing Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ)
- Militarized Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and the Race for Large Scale MPAs
- UK Marine Conservation Planning
- Lessons Learned from the IPCC for IPBES
- Marine Protected Area Governance (MPAG)
- Teaching with Technology
I am tracking the development of a new agreement under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, focusing on the conservation and sustainable management of marine biodiversity. This instrument has four parts: (i) marine genetic resources; (ii) area based management tools, including marine protected areas (MPAs); (iii) environmental impact assessments; and (iv) capacity building and technology transfer. I have been examining implications for MPAs in offshore areas based on experiences from regional fisheries management organizations, and I am also interested in what lessons can be learned from existing legislation on access and benefit sharing closer to shore for the genetic components of biodiversity for resources in the high seas and on the deep seabed. Collaborators: Beth Mendenhall (URI), Liz Nyman (Texas A&M) and Rachel Tiller (SINTEF Ocean, Norway).
- De Santo, E., Mendenhall, E., Nyman, E. and Tiller, R. (2020) Stuck in the middle with you (and not much time left): The third intergovernmental conference on biodiversity beyond national jurisdiction. Marine Policy 117: 103957 (open access).
- Tiller, R., De Santo, E., Mendenhall, E., Nyman, E. and Ralby, I. (2020) Wealth blindness beyond national jurisdiction. Marine Pollution Bulletin 151: 110809.
- Mendenhall, E., De Santo, E., Nyman, E., and Tiller, R. (2019) A soft treaty, hard to reach: The second inter-governmental conference for biodiversity beyond national jurisdiction. Marine Policy 108: 103664.
- De Santo, E.M., Ásgeirsdóttir, A., Barros-Platiau, A., Biermann, F., Dryzek, J., Gonçalves, L.R., Kim, R.E., Mendenhall, E., Mitchell, R., Nyman, E., Scobie, M., Sun, K., Tiller, R., Webster, D.G., and Young, O. (2019) Protecting biodiversity in Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction: An earth system governance perspective. Earth System Governance 2: 100029 (open access).
- Tiller, R., De Santo, E., Nyman, E., and Mendenhall, E. (2019) The once and future treaty: Towards a new regime for biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction. Marine Policy 99: 239-242.
- De Santo, E.M. (2018) Implementation challenges of area-based management tools (AMBTs) for biodiversity beyond national jurisdiction (BBNJ). Marine Policy 97: 34-43 (open access).
Building on my previous work examining "fortress conservation" in the Chagos Archipelago, I am examining geopolitical motivations for designating MPAs in overseas territories of the US, UK and France that are either currently militarized, have experienced military activity in the past, or which may be important for geopolitical purposes and/or securing resources in the future. I have also been tracking the growth of large-scale MPAs globally in response to international biodiversity targets.
- De Santo, E.M. (2020) Militarized Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in overseas territories: Conserving biodiversity, geopolitical positioning, and securing resources in the 21st century. Ocean and Coastal Management 184: 105006.
- Jones, P.J.S. and De Santo, E.M. (2016) Viewpoint: Is the race for remote, very large marine protected areas (VLMPAs) taking us down the wrong track? Marine Policy 73: 231-234.
- De Santo, E.M. (2013) Missing marine protected area targets: how the push for quantity over quality undermines sustainability and social justice. Journal of Environmental Management 124: 137-146.
- De Santo, E.M. (2012) Implications of the 10th Conference of Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity for coastal management and marine protected areas. Ocean Yearbook 26: 249-263.
- De Santo, E.M. (2012) From paper parks to private conservation: the role of NGOs in adapting marine protected area strategies to climate change. Journal of International Wildlife Law and Policy 15: 25-40.
- De Santo, E.M., Jones, P.J.S., and Miller, A. (2011) Fortress conservation at sea: a commentary on the Chagos marine protected area. Marine Policy 35(2): 258-260.
This project is examining the UK government's recent public consultation process for designating Marine Conservation Zones (MCZs), focusing on two aspects: (i) how well it is including stakeholders in the process, following requirements set out under the Aarhus Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-Making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters, and (ii) understanding the role of "evidence" in MPA site selection and designation, including the structure and function of scientific assessment, as well as problems with inconsistent standards. My previous research on UK conservation (including my PhD) examined how the UK implemented European Union legislation in offshore areas. I am now tracking how Brexit will affect UK MCZ planning and the future of UK marine conservation.
- De Santo, E.M. (2017) California dreaming: challenges posed by transposing science-based marine protected area planning processes in different political contexts. Environmental Science & Policy: 75: 38-46.
- De Santo, E.M. (2016) Assessing public "participation" in environmental decision-making: lessons learned from the UK marine conservation zone (MCZ) site selection process. Marine Policy 64: 91-101.
- De Santo, E.M. (2015) The Marine Strategy Directive as a catalyst for Maritime Spatial Planning: internal dimensions and institutional tensions. Chapter 6 in: Gilek, M. and Kern, K. (eds.) Governing Europe’s Marine Environment: Europeanization of Regional Seas or Regionalization of EU Policies? Ashgate. PDF
- De Santo, E.M. (2011) Environmental justice implications of Maritime Spatial Planning in the European Union. Marine Policy 35(1): 34-38.
- De Santo, E.M. (2010) “Whose science?” Precaution and power play in European environmental decision-making. Marine Policy 34(3): 414-420.
- De Santo, E.M., and Jones, P.J.S. (2007) Offshore marine conservation in the North East Atlantic: emerging challenges and opportunities. Marine Policy 31(3): 336-347.
- De Santo, E.M., and Jones, P.J.S. (2007) The Darwin Mounds: from undiscovered coral to the emergence of an offshore marine protected area regime. Pages 147-156 in George, R.Y. and Cains, S.D. (eds.) 2007. Conservation and adaptive management of seamount and deep sea coral ecosystems. Bulletin of Marine Science Volume 81 Supplement 1, Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science. Copy of paper.
Established in 2012, the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) will provide advice and expertise to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in an analogous role to that of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) for the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). This nascent project is examining how political decisions are taken in situations of scientific uncertainty, and the specific challenges of governing biodiversity, with a focus on marine ecosystems.
Environmental Information: Use and Influence (EIUI, link to project website)
This interdisciplinary research initiative is examining the use and influence of environmental information produced by government agencies, intergovernmental bodies, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in environmental decision-making. Globally, the volume of information on environmental issues continues to grow rapidly. Yet many environmental problems persist, suggesting that significant barriers exist between information production and its use in timely and effective policy action. With financial support from the Canadian Federal Government, this project is focusing on case studies from a range of partner organizations. Collaborators: Bertrum MacDonald (School of Information Management), Peter Wells (School for Resource and Environmental Studies), and Kevin Quigley (School of Public Administration), all at Dalhousie University.
- MacDonald, B.H., Soomai, S.S., De Santo E.M., and Wells, P.G., (2016) Science, Information and Policy Interface for Effective Coastal and Ocean Management. CRC Press. Link to book (open access).
- MacDonald, B.H., De Santo, E.M., Quigley, K., Soomai, S.S., & Wells, P. (2013). Tracking the influence of grey literature in public policy contexts: The necessity and benefits of interdisciplinary research. The Grey Journal 9(2): 61-68.
This study is examining governance aspects of MPAs to improve long-term effectiveness, drawing on an analysis of five categories of incentives: legal, economic, participative, interpretative and knowledge-based. This interdisciplinary analysis draws on insights from conservation biology, recommending a complex network of governing incentives and institutions (mirroring the complex network of trophic relationships present in natural systems). Collaborator: Peter J.S. Jones and Wanfei Qiu, Department of Geography, UCL.
- De Santo, E.M., Jones, P.J.S., Qiu, W., and Clifton, J. (Eds.), (2013) Special issue of Marine Policy : “Governing Marine Protected Areas: towards socio-ecological resilience through institutional and biological diversity” containing sixteen case study analyses and the following authored/co-authored articles:
- Jones, P.J.S., De Santo, E.M., and Qiu, W. (2013) Introduction: an empirical framework for deconstructing the realities of governing marine protected areas. Marine Policy 41: 1-4.
- Jones, P.J.S., Qiu, W., and De Santo, E.M. (2013) Governing marine protected areas: socio-ecological resilience through institutional and biological diversity. Marine Policy 41: 5-13.
- De Santo, E.M. (2013) The Darwin Mounds Special Area of Conservation: implications for offshore marine governance. Marine Policy 41: 25-32.
Teaching with Technology (2011-2013)
With support from Dalhousie's Center for Teaching and Learning, my Sustainability co-instructor (Matthew Schnurr) and I examined the effectiveness of both in-person and web-based simulation techniques for teaching the complexities of global environmental governance.
- Schnurr, M.A., De Santo, E.M., Green, A., and Taylor, A. (2015) Investigating student perceptions of knowledge acquisition within a role-play simulation of the Convention on Biological Diversity. Journal of Geography 114(3): 94-107.
- Schnurr, M.A., De Santo, E.M., and Green, A. (2014) What do students learn from a role-play simulation of an international negotiation? Journal of Geography in Higher Education 38(3): 401-414.
- Schnurr, M.A., De Santo, E.M., and Craig, R. (2012) Using a blended learning approach to simulate the negotiation of a Multi-lateral Environmental Agreement. International Studies Perspectives 14(2): 109-120.