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The Law of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Management

5th Edition
J. B. Ruhl | Kalyani Robbins | Karrigan Börk
ISBN: 9781685614539
Subject: Wildlife/Biodiversity Law
Format: Print - Hardbound
Page Count: 1427
Copyright: 2026 | Status: In Stock
Other Formats Available

This law school casebook covers the study of ecosystem and biodiversity policy and protection. The book defines biodiversity and outlines factors in choosing among different policy approaches for its protection. The authors include original notes and questions to stimulate class discussion. The fifth edition contains substantial updating throughout the text, including updated science on biodiversity loss and its ramifications for humanity. The casebook covers the Trump and Biden administrations' drastically different approaches to climate policy, endangered species protection, and ecosystem management and addresses the Supreme Court decisions fundamentally reshaping administrative law itself. New materials include major Supreme Court decisions reshaping environmental law, enhanced treatment of tribal sovereignty in resource management, and the evolving role of state and local governments in biodiversity protection. Readers will find some key new cases, such as the great controversy over the dusky gopher frog, major steps in climate change policy, like the Paris Agreement, and much more.


Imprint: Foundation Press
Series: University Casebook Series
Publication Date: 12/22/2025

J. B. Ruhl, Vanderbilt University Law School

Kalyani Robbins, Loyola University-Chicago School of Law

Karrigan Börk, University of CA-Davis School of Law

CasebookPlus™

This title is available in our CasebookPlus format. CasebookPlus provides support beyond your classroom lectures and materials by offering additional digital resources to you and your students. Anchored by faculty-authored formative self-assessments keyed to our most popular casebooks, CasebookPlus allows students to test their understanding of core concepts as they are learning them in class — on their own, outside of the classroom, with no extra work on your part. CasebookPlus combines three important elements:

  • A new print or digital casebook
  • Access to a downloadable eBook with the ability to highlight and add notes
  • 12-month access to a digital Learning Library complete with:
Multiple-choice self-assessment questions, including:
  • Chapter questions keyed to the casebook
  • Black Letter Law questions (available in select subjects)
  • Subject area review questions for end of semester use
Essay and short answer questions with sample answers and expert commentary, in 1L and select upper-level subjects

Leading digital study aids, an outline starter, and audio lectures in select subjects

Students can still utilize CasebookPlus digital resources if they've purchased a used book or are renting their text by purchasing the Learning Library at westacademic.com.

With CasebookPlus, you can customize your students' learning experience and monitor their performance. The quiz editor allows you to create your own custom quiz set, suppress specific quiz questions or quiz sets, and time-release quiz questions. Additionally, the flexible, customized reporting capability helps you evaluate your students' understanding of the material and can also help your school demonstrate compliance with the new ABA Assessment and Learning Outcomes standards.

  • Updated scientific information throughout, including new data on biodiversity loss and ecosystem impacts
  • New cases, including the watershed case Sackett v. EPA, along with discussion of the demise of Chevron deference
  • Updated management plan documents and IPCC climate change report
  • Enhanced discussion of tribal roles in resource management
  • New material on groundwater
  • Reorganized chapters on prominent ecosystems, to facilitate use of single chapters for shorter courses and seminars
  • Shortened the length of the casebook to make reading assignments more manageable

Learn more about this series.