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Marta Lang

• Academic Profile
• Current Research
• Teaching
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Academic Profile

Marta Lang joined the School of Geography and the Environment in August 2009. She is also a Fellow at the Australian National Centre for Ocean Resources and Security.

A Barrister and Solicitor, Marta has a BSc (Environmental Studies, 2000) and a Honours degree in Law (First Class, 2001) from Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand. She completed an MSc in Biodiversity, Conservation and Management (with Distinction) on a Commonwealth Scholarship jointly funded by Oxford University (2007-8).

From 2004 to 2007, Marta was marine and international lawyer to the New Zealand Department of Conservation. She was part of national ocean policy, coastal policy and marine reserves law reform teams, and led the Department's response into a claim by Maori tribes into the management of New Zealand flora and fauna. She served on government delegations to three UN negotiations: the 2006 Working Group on Marine Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction, and the 2005 and 2006 Informal Consultative Process on the Law of the Sea. Prior to that Marta held the position of Assistant Crown Counsel, Crown Law Office, New Zealand.

Current Research

Marta's major research interest is fisheries management and marine protection, from community to international scales, with a geographical focus on the Asia-Pacific.

Marta is engaged in consultancy work under the Commonwealth Fisheries Programme, leading rapid assessments of fisheries reliance and NGO capacity-building efforts in developing country coastal communities. This took her to Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, and Samoa in November 2008, and India, Bangladesh and Pakistan in September-October 2009. She also moderated the civil society Environment and Climate Change assembly at the Commonwealth People's Forum, in the lead up to the 2009 Trinidad and Tobago Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting.

Teaching

Marta runs the School's 'International Environmental Frameworks and Policy' course. This is a core course for the MSc in Biodiversity, Conservation and Management, MSc in Environmental Change and Management and MSc in Nature, Society and Environmental Policy. Marta also coordinated the Oxford Ocean Policy Symposium and postgraduate marine biodiversity fieldwork with other staff in 2009.

Selected Publications

Book Chapters

• Lang, M. and Trebilco, R. (2009) Marine Protected Areas as a Strategy for Sustainability. In, Bourne, R. and Collins, M. (eds.) From Hook to Plate: The State of Marine Fisheries. A Commonwealth Perspective. London: Commonwealth Foundation.

Conference Publications

• Lang, M. (2009) Histories of Cornwall's Large Marine Predators 1602-1878: Perspectives for Restoration. Oceans Past II conference, University of British Columbia.
• Lang, M. (2006) 'Biodiversity' in Area-based Marine Protection Law. Australia-New Zealand Ecological Societies conference, Victoria University of Wellington.
• Lang, M. (2006) Exclusive Economic Zone MPAs and New Zealand's MPA Policy. Australia-New Zealand Maritime Law Association conference, Taupo.
• Lang, M. (2005) Responding to a Major Oil Spill in New Zealand. Australia-New Zealand Maritime Law Association conference, Auckland.
• Lang, M. (2005) Ecosystem-based Protection and the New Zealand MPA policy. Seachange conference, Environmental Defense Society, Auckland.

Reports

• Lang, M. (2009) Pacific Coastal Fisheries Scoping Study: Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu and Samoa. London: Commonwealth Policy Studies Unit.
• Mitcalfe, K. and Lang, M. (2002) Breaking Down The Barriers: The Resource Management Act Made Easy. Wellington: Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society.