Join host, Jenn da Rosa, EdD, for a discussion with water law and policy specialist, Erin O’Donnell, PhD for a Goucher Environmental Dialogues webinar on "The Rights of Rivers."

Topic: In this webinar, Dr. Erin O’Donnell will discuss her research on the legal rights of rivers and the benefits and drawbacks these new rights bring for protecting natural, social, and cultural values of rivers.  In keeping with the Rights of Nature concept, a river or ecosystem is entitled to legal personhood status and has the right to defend itself in a court of law against harms, including environmental degradation.

Speaker Bio: Dr. Erin O’Donnell is a research fellow at Melbourne Law School, focusing on water markets, environmental flows, and water governance. She has worked in water resource management since 2002, in both the private and public sectors. Dr. O’Donnell is recognized internationally for her research into the groundbreaking new field of legal rights for rivers, and the challenges and opportunities these new rights create for protecting the multiple social, cultural, and natural values of rivers. Her work is informed by comparative analysis across Australia, New Zealand, the USA, India, Colombia, and Chile. Her latest book, Legal Rights for Rivers: Competition, Collaboration, and Water Governance, is available now from Routledge.

Webinar Series: Goucher Environmental Dialogues feature cultivated conversations with environmental, sustainability, and climate leaders, visionaries, and innovators. This series is hosted by Goucher College’s MA in Environmental Sustainability & Management program and is open to all students, faculty, alumni, and the public.