The Role of Customary Law in Sustainable Development

Peter Orebech is Professor of Law at the University of Tromso, Norway. Fred Bosselman is Professor of Law Emeritus at the Chicago-Kent College of Law. Jes Bjarup is Professor of Law Emeritus at the University of Stockholm. David Callies is Professor of Law at the University of Hawai'i at Manoa. Martin Chanock is Professor of Law at La Trobe University, Melbourne. Hanne Petersen is Professor of Sociology of Law at the University of Copenhagen.

• Preface; 1. The linkage between sustainable development and customary law; 2. Three case studies from Hawaii, Norway and Greenland; 3. Social interaction: the foundation of customary law; 4. How custom becomes law in England; 5. How custom becomes law in Norway; 6. Adaptive resource management through customary law; 7. The place of customary law in democratic societies; 8. Customary law, sustainable development and the failing state; 9. Towards sustainability: the basis in international law; 10. The case studies revisited; 11. The choice of customary law; 12. Conclusion: customary law in a globalizing culture.

Review of the hardback: 'The book is an insightful introduction to the topic, which will be of interest to academics and students in areas such as law, environmental studies, sociology and anthropology, as well as to development planners at the local, national and international level … it fills a gap in the current literature regarding the difficult link between customary law and sustainable development which is all too often taken for granted.' Environmental Conservation