Research Reports

This ELI-authored EPA report considers the interactions of climate change and aquatic invasive species (AIS). It analyzes the existing scientific literature on the effects climate change will have on AIS and considers provisions for adaptation to changing conditions in existing state AIS management plans. Based on this analysis, ELI offers five recommendations for states to maintain and improve state AIS management programs and activities in a changing climate.

Over the past decades, and especially since the 1992 “Earth Summit,” many African countries have incorporated environmental provisions into their constitutions.

ELI’s report, Halting the Invasion in the Chesapeake Bay, examines the complex issues faced in addressing the issue of aquatic invasions in the Chesapeake Bay. The report analyzes laws and regulations that affect aquatic invasive species prevention efforts, such as the pet trade, importation of aquarium fish, aquaculture, and other commercial enterprises, and makes recommendations intended to harmonize inter-state efforts in the Chesapeake Bay under existing authorities and to strengthen the existing legal infrastructure.

This report was coauthored by ELI and the University of Oxford’s Department of Plant Sciences, with support from, and in collaboration with, the United Nations Environment Programme’s Post-Conflict and Disaster Management Branch. It undertakes a detailed analysis of the current laws, regulations, institutions, and practices affecting the management and conservation of biodiversity in Liberia. Based on its research findings, the report highlights priority actions to improve Liberia’s governance of biodiversity.

Every year, human activities cause significant harm to fish and wildlife habitat and the environment. Many of the impacts to these natural resources are never addressed. In certain cases, however, federal, state, and local laws and programs can require monetary or in-kind compensation for these impacts. A new ELI report, "Mitigation of Impacts to Fish and Wildlife Habitat: Estimating Costs and Identifying Opportunities," estimates that private and public expenditures for such compensation under key federal programs total up to $3.8 billion annually.