MSP Research Network

Elizabeth De Santo is Associate Professor and Chair of the Environmental Studies Program at Franklin & Marshall College, based in the Department of Earth and Environment.  

She is an environmental policy and law specialist focused in coastal and marine environmental management. Her interdisciplinary academic background brings together human geography and environmental law (PhD, University College London), international relations (MSc, London School of Economics and Political Science), coastal environmental management (MEM, Duke University), and marine zoology (BA, Connecticut College).  Elizabeth's teaching and research focus on marine conservation and environmental governance, critically examining:  (1) the efficacy of spatial approaches to conserving marine species and habitats (e.g., Marine Protected Areas and Marine Spatial Planning), and (2) mechanisms for improving the science-policy interface in environmental decision-making.  

Prior to joining F&M, Elizabeth taught in the Marine Affairs Program and College of Sustainability at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.  She has also held positions with the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) and the World Environment Center, consultancies with the Office of the Auditor General of Canada and the Institute for European Environmental Policy, and she is a member of the IUCN World Commission on Environmental Law. She is on the Editorial Board of Marine Policy and  the Editorial Advisory Board of the Journal of International Wildlife Law and Policy.

ENE 405 Marine Protected Areas

ENE/GOV 320 International Environmental Law

ENE/STS 216 Environmental Policy

And supervising student research

De Santo, E.M. (2020) Militarized marine protected areas in overseas territories: Conserving biodiversity, geopolitical positioning, and securing resources in the 21^st century. Ocean and Coastal Management 184: 105006 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2019.105006.

De Santo, E.M. (2018) Implementation challenges of area-based management tools (AMBTs) for biodiversity beyond national jurisdiction (BBNJ).  Marine Policy 97: 34-43 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2018.08.034 (open access).

De Santo, E.M. (2017) California dreaming: Challenges posed by transposing science-based marine protected area planning processes in different political contexts. Environmental Science & Policy 75: 38-46 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2017.05.012.

De Santo, E.M. (2016) Assessing stakeholder “participation” in environmental decision-making: lessons learned from the UK marine conservation zone (MCZ) site selection process. Marine Policy 64: 91-101 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2015.11.003.

De Santo, E.M. (2013) Missing marine protected area targets: how the push for quantity over quality undermines sustainability and social justice. Journal of Environmental Management 124: 137-146 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2013.01.033.