Professor Loretta Feris

Designation: Associate Professor: Institute of Marine & Environmental Law
Expertise: Environmental rights, trade and environment, liability for environmental harm

Professor Loretta Feris

Biography

Loretta Feris is professor of law in the Institute of Marine and Environmental Law and teaches natural resources law, pollution law and international environmental law. She joined the department of public law in July 2009. She holds a BA(law), LLB and LLD from the University of Stellenbosch in South Africa and a LLM from Georgetown University in the USA. Previously she was associate professor of law at the University of Pretoria, where she was also a research associate at the Centre for Human Rights. Prior to joining the University of Pretoria, she was based at American University’s Washington College of Law first as an international fellow and later as Assistant Director of the International Legal Studies Program. She remained an adjunct faculty member of this institution until 2006. She is also a senior research fellow at the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA).

Loretta is an NRF rated researcher and her research interest includes environmental rights and trade and environment. She has co-edited a compendium on environmental legislation, as well as a compendium on environmental case law. She also does research on liability for environmental damage and has served on a UNEP experts group that has drafted a model law on liability for environmental damage. Loretta serves on the board of the South African Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA), is a Law Commissioner of the World Conservation Union (IUCN) and a member of the IUCN Academy of Environmental Law where she served on the teaching and capacity building committee for three years. She is also the Western Cape regional representative of the ELA (the Environmental Law Association of South Africa) and serves on a number of editorial boards. She consults in the area of environmental law and trade and environment.

Selected Publications

  1. "Trade and Environment" in Environmental Management in South Africa Strydom & King (Eds) (2009)
  2. "Human Rights and Locus Standi" in Compliance and Enforcement in Environmental Law Patterson and Kotze (Eds) (2009).
  3. "Sustainable Development in Practice: Fuel Retailers Association of Southern Africa v Director-General Environmental Management, Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Environment, Mpumalanga Province" 1 Constitutional Court Review (2008)
  4. The socio-economic nature of section 24(b) of the Constitution – Some thoughts on HTF Developers (Pty) Ltd v Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism 2006 5 SA 512 (T) 23 SA Public Law (2008)
  5. South African Environmental Law through the Cases (2008). Co-authored with Kotze, Du Plessis and Olivier
  6. Constitutional "Environmental Rights: An Under-utilised Resource" in South African Journal on Human Rights Vol 1 (2008)
  7. "Who is to Blame? Liability and Redress Related to GMOs" in Jeffery, Firestone and Bubna-Litic (eds) Biodiversity, Conservation, Law and Livelihoods: Bridging the North-South Divide (2008)
  8. "The EC Biotech case and its Implications for Measures Affecting Genetically Modified Organisms" Stellenbosch Law Review Vol 18 (1) (2007)
  9. "The Protection of Biodiversity-related Trade Knowledge" International Environmental Law-making and Diplomacy Review 2006 (2007)
  10. "The Implications of the WTO's EC-Biotech Case for SADC countries" in GMOS, Trade and Food Security in SADC Draper and Khumalo (Eds) SAIIA (2007).
  11. "Compliance Notices, a New Tool in Enforcement". PER Vol 3 (2006)
  12. Risk Management and Liability for Environmental Harm caused by GMOs – the South African Regulatory Framework" PER Vol 1 (2006).
  13. "Environment" (update) in The Bill of Rights Handbook De Waal, Currie & Erasmus, Juta (2005)
  14. "A Positive Agenda for Africa in Trade Facilitation Negotiations" ILEAP Negotiation Brief No 8 (2005). Co-authored with Gitonga.
  15. "Environmental Rights" in Socio-Economic Rights in South Africa: Analysis and Documents Christof Heyns and Danie Brand (Eds) Protea Boekhuis, Pretoria (2005). Co-authored with Tladi.
  16. "A Legal Framework for the Protection of Biodiversity Related Traditional Knowledge" SAJELP Vol 11 (2004) Appeared 2005
  17. "Protecting Traditional Knowledge in Africa – Considering African Approaches" – African Human Rights Journal Vol 4 (2) 2004.
  18. "The Right to Access to Reproductive Health Care in the South African Constitution – A Real Victory for Women?" in Engendering Human Rights: Cultural and Socio-economic Realities in Africa, Obioma Nnaemeka and Joy Ezeilo (Eds) St Martin's Press, New York (2004)
  19. "The Asbestos Crisis – The Need for Strict Liability for Environmental Damage" (1999) Acta Juridica 287 – 302
  20. "The Asbestos Crisis – The Need for Strict Liability for Environmental Damage" Environmental Justice and the Legal Process Jan Glazewski and Graham Bradfield (Eds) Juta and Co Ltd Cape Town (1999)
  21. "Turn-on or Turn off – Pornography in the Context of the Constitution" (1998) Stellenbosch Law Review Vol 9 No 1 54 – 74. Co-authored with Bonthuys.
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