Joanna Miller Smallwood has a long-standing interest in nature conservation and law. Her career began as a solicitor, including working on environmental law multi-party actions representing claimants against multi-national corporations. Joanna's PhD and post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Sussex concerned the implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity's Aichi Targets in the UK. She is a member of the international Taskforce on the Governance of Nature and Biodiversity, part of the Earth System Governance network, and a fellow of the University of Sussex Sustainability Research programme (SSRP). Joanna's research focuses on transformative governance of food production and consumption and nature conservation, implementing legal and policy frameworks for the rights of nature in Brazil, Ecuador, Colombia and UK, and the implementation of forest risk commodity legislation in Cote D'Ivoire. Joanna is the solicitor and co-lead for the Environmental Law Foundation/University of Sussex Environmental Justice Law Clinic, supervising students working on local environmental cases.
"""This book presents a thoughtful and deeply researched account of how international environmental law can achieve the transformation that the global environment demands. Its recommendations highlight that internalising international environmental law goes far beyond the state, and indeed ultimately requires participation and cooperation on the local level."" Dr Emily Lydgate, Deputy Director UK Trade Policy Observatory, Reader, Sussex Law School “This book offers an important and insightful discussion on the effectiveness of international environmental law and governance, addressing the pivotal question of how to strengthen and enhance compliance with international environmental norms. As such, it will be a valuable reading for academics, researchers and policy-makers interested in understanding how to improve international environmental law and make it work effectively."" Dr Emanuela Orlando, Lecturer in Environmental Law, School of Law, Politics and Sociology, University of Sussex"