FIU Graduate Seminar-Integrating Science and Law Through the Lens of Conservation Genetics

Biodiversity loss is one of the preeminent environmental challenges of our era. Extinction, extirpation, population declines, and the loss of genetic diversity are all occurring at significantly higher rates than seen throughout much of evolutionary history. This loss clearly requires a scientific response, but science alone is insufficient. We also need a legal response. Ultimately, law provides a framework through which our societal values can be
implemented in a manner that guides our collective response to challenges like biodiversity loss. For law to be effective for conservation, however, it has to incorporate and be responsive to scientific knowledge and data. This in part requires successful translation, cooperation, and collaboration between disparate disciplines. By covering a number of projects from my own research, this talk will use the field of conservation genetics as a lens to explore tensions between conservation science and conservation law and policy. Examples will include projects related to hybridization, assisted evolution, and subspecific genetic variation.
Professor John A. (Alex) Erwin is an Assistant Professor of Law at Florida International University College of Law. Combining his legal training with his background as a conservation geneticist, Professor Erwin’s research is situated at the intersection of environmental law, genetics, and conservation biology. As a scientist, he has experience doing field work, wet lab genetics, and bioinformatics; he has worked with a variety of species, from freshwater mussels to jaguars. His legal scholarship covers topics such as federal endangered species law, genetic engineering for conservation, and state management of predators. His publication record spans both law reviews and peer-reviewed scientific journals. Professor Erwin received both his J.D. and Ph.D. in Genetics from the University of Arizona and a B.S. in Biology and Biochemistry from Washington and Lee University.