Conservation Clinic
Program catalyzes new environmental law clinics in Latin America
The UF/UCR Joint Program in Environmental Law has been promoting the development of environmental law service learning pedagogy in Latin America and the Caribbean through creation of environmental law clinics, or their functional equivalent under the systems of legal education in place in the region. These efforts began with the establishment of the Consultorio Juridico Ambiental at the University of Costa Rica in 2003, with which the Program continues to work.
Amazonian Clinics. From 2007 – 2010, with support from the Amazon Conservation Leadership Initiative at the University of Florida, faculty and students from 3 Amazonian state law schools participated in the Program for the express purpose of designing clinics that fit their legal and legal education systems. The 3 schools were the Federal University of Mato Grosso, the Federal University of Para and the State University of Amazonas. We are pleased to report that each of these schools now has an environmental law clinic, and the 3 clinics have begun inter-clinic collaborations in order to have Brazilian law students in the Amazon participate in conservation of the greater Amazon basin. For more information on the Amazon clinics; see: http://www.law.ufl.edu/conservation/costarica/spotlight/amazon_law_clinics.shtml
Central American Clinics. In 2011, students in the joint program developed a “Manual for Service Learning Pedagogy” for Central America, in English and Spanish. The manual was deployed at a workshop in September of 2011 at the University of Costa Rica law school. The workshop was supported the U.S. Department of State’s Program for Higher Education in Development, as part of a Central American Diploma in Environmental Law, and facilitated by UF/UCR Program faculty in the hope that Clinics will be developed elsewhere in Central America. For more information on the Central American Clinics initiative see: http://www.law.ufl.edu/conservation/costarica/spotlight/2011/manual.shtml