Meretsky, Fischman paper honored as one of the top-five environmental law articles by Land Use and Environment Law Review

Vicky Meretsky, a professor at the Paul H. O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs, and IU Mauer School of Law Professor and Adjunct Professor of Public and Environmental Affairs Rob Fischman are among the authors of “Collaborative Governance Under the Endangered Species Act: An Empirical Analysis of Protective Regulations,” which was judged by the Land Use and Environment Law Review as one of the five best environmental law articles published in 2021.

The piece, which was led by Fischman in collaboration with Meretsky and Matthew Castelli from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, examines how the Endangered Species Act has thrived as a tool to save species thanks partially to collaborative governance, which allows stakeholders and regulators to work together craft best practices that can benefit all.

“The recognition from the legal academy reflects greater acceptance of the empirical approaches that Vicky Meretsky and I have been promoting for many years,” Fischman said. “Our aim was not simply to provide a more comprehensive account of the controversial special rules under the Endangered Species Act. It was also to demonstrate how collaborative governance works in conservation agencies. This scholarship is especially rewarding to me because it involves analysis I could not undertake without Vicky’s expertise in quantitative analysis and conservation biology. Our skills are more powerful in partnership than separately.”

The study was initially published in the Yale Journal on Regulation. The piece underwent two rounds of peer review and was selected from more than 100 articles before receiving recognition.

“As a conservation biologist, I’m delighted that this recognition will raise awareness of the vital role of collaboration in conservation,” Meretsky said. “With biodiversity undergoing threats from climate change and habitat loss, collaborative efforts are increasingly important. Legal scholars are well positioned to encourage laws and policies that support collaborative efforts such as we described that are vital to protect biodiversity.”

Fischman has been an adjunct professor at the O’Neill School since 2007, and Meretsky, who also is an affiliate associate professor at the Mauer School, has been with O’Neill since 1997.