This book contains a selection of papers on various legal issues of interest to developing countries which have been prepared by Fellows from InWent who came to Germany between 2002 and 2004 from Africa, Asia, and Latin America to research and write about subjects of their choice at the IUCN Environmental Law Centre.

Reflecting a global trend, scores of countries have affirmed that their citizens are entitled to healthy air, water, and land and that their constitution should guarantee certain environmental rights. This book examines the increasing recognition that the environment is a proper subject for protection in constitutional texts and for vindication by constitutional courts. This phenomenon, which the authors call environmental constitutionalism, represents the confluence of constitutional law, international law, human rights, and environmental law. National apex and constitutional courts are exhibiting a growing interest in environmental rights, and as courts become more aware of what their peers are doing, this momentum is likely to increase. This book explains why such provisions came into being, how they are expressed, and the extent to which they have been, and might be, enforced judicially. It is a singular resource for evaluating the content of and hope for constitutional environmental rights.

Agricultural biodiversity is a precious legacy which we have a moral duty to pass on intact to future generations. As farming systems modernise, these crucial resources risk being lost, unless effective conservation measures are put in place and sufficient recognition is given to the role of the farmer in food security and agricultural development. This publication contains a number of black and white photographs by Pablo Balbontân Arenas, which give an insight into the life and customs of small farmers who foster, maintain and use genetic diversity in traditional agricultural systems, deploying local techniques and knowledge accumulated over many centuries, focusing on four crops: wheat, rice, maize and potato. The accompanying text is written in English, Spanish and Italian.