Arctic Centre

Faculty Member, Northern Institute for Environmental and Minority Law

Institute Director

About

Research Professor, Director of the Northern Institute for Environmental and Minority Law, Arctic Centre/University of Lapland; Docent of International Law, Faculty of Law, Economics and Business Administration/University of Eastern Finland; Docent of International Law, Faculty of Law/University of Turku

Research professor Timo Koivurova has specialized in various aspects of international law applicable in the Arctic and Antarctic region. In 2002, Koivurova’s doctoral dissertation “Environmental impact assessment in the Arctic: a Study of International Legal Norms” was published by Ashgate. Increasingly, his research work addresses the interplay between different levels of environmental law, legal status of indigenous peoples, law of the sea in the Arctic waters, integrated maritime policy in the EU, the role of law in mitigating/adapting to climate change, the function and role of the Arctic Council in view of its future challenges and the possibilities for an Arctic treaty. He has been involved as an expert in several international processes globally and in the Arctic region.

Professor Koivurova has been and is involved in many international research projects. He was a co-leader of a global research project on the theory and practise of transboundary environmental impact assessment, the outcome of this research project now being published by Martinus Nijhoff Publishers (2008). He was a research leader-in-charge in Finnish Academy funded CIGSAC (The Capability of International Governance Systems in the Arctic to Contribute to the mitigation of Climate Change and Adjust to its Consequences) and Commission of the EU funded project comparing the ocean governance and law of the sea positions of Canada and EU respectively (co-director). He was one of the co-leaders in a research group having as its aim to outline the policy and legal context in the Arctic marine region, this research group being part of the EU Commission funded "TRANSFORM: Transatlantic Policy Options for Supporting Adaptations in the Marine Arctic" and leading a project – together with professor Kai Kokko – to examine the legal issues related to an idea to negotiate Pan-European forest management convention for the Ministerial Conference for the Protection of Forests in Europe. Currently, professor Koivurova is one of the co-leads in the EU Commission funded Arctic footprint project and, together with professor Kai Kokko, leading a research team to examine the EU competencies affecting the Arctic, a study that will be done for the European Parliament.

Professor Koivurova is a member of the IUCN’s Commision on Environmental (CEL) and has been invited by the Norwegian Research Council to serve as a member in the steering committees’ overseeing large research programmes: Geopolitikk-Nord, which examines the evolving Arctic policy from the Norwegian perspective; and NORRUSS, which aims to study the evolving northern policy of the Russian Federation. Professor Koivurova is also – together with professor Gudmundur Alfredsson – editor-in-chief in the Yearbook of Polar Law.


Tutkimusprofessori, dosentti Koivurova on erikoistunut kansainväliseen ympäristöoikeuteen, erityisesti siihen, miten tämän oikeudenalan säännöt soveltuvat arktisella alueella. Hän puolusti väitöskirjaansa vuonna 2001 Lapin yliopistossa ympäristövaikutusten arvioinnista (YVA) arktisella alueella. Enenevässä määrin hänen tutkimustyönsä on keskittynyt siihen, miten eritasoiset oikeusjärjestykset sääntelevät samoja tilanteita, kansainvälisten ympäristösopimusten tehokkuus, oikeuden rooli ilmastonmuutoksen hillinnässä ja sen seurauksiin sopeutumisessa, EU:n kehittyvä meripolitiikka, alkuperäiskansojen oikeudet, Arktisen alueen hallinnan parantaminen. Hän on toiminut asiantuntijana monissa globaaleissa ja arktisissa kansainvälisissä prosesseissa.


Examples of publications:

Books :

    * A book on the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia with Immi Lehtonen, in Finnish language. Publications of the Advisory Board for International Human Rights Affairs, No. 8 (1996), 129 pages (of which my part 75-129).
    * “Environmental Impact Assessment in the Arctic: A Study of International Legal Norms”, Ashgate Publishing, 2002 (448 pages). The doctoral defence version was published earlier: ”Environmental Impact Assessment in the Arctic: A Study of the International Legal Norms Applicable to the Planning Stage of Environmentally Harmful Activities”, Acta Universitatis Lapponiensis No. 42 (2001), 440 pages. (See also the review by the opponent professor Erik Franckx in Finnish Yearbook of International Law (2001), pp. 443-448). Fragments here
    * Protection of Minorities in Bangladesh: A Legal Assessment (together with Waliul Hasanat), Juridica Lapponica 33. University of Lapland Press 2008. 90 pages.
    * Marsden, S. & Koivurova, T., 2011. Transboundary Environmental Impact Assessment in the European Union: The Espoo Convention and its Kiev Protocol on Strategic Environmental Assessment, London: Earthscan.


Edited books :

    * Main editor in Arctic Governance (eds. Koivurova T., Joona T. ja Shnoro R.), Juridica lapponica No. 29. Oy Sevenprint Ltd. 2004 (268 pages).
    * Editor of the Liber Amicorum for international law professor Kari Hakapää. Kansainvälistyvä oikeus, Kari Hakapään juhlakirja (toimittaja Timo Koivurova). Lapin yliopiston oikeustieteellisiä julkaisuja C 41 (582 pages).
    * Editor, together with Dr. Kees Bastmeijer, of the book "Theory and Practise of Transboundary Environmental Impact Assessment", Martinus Nijhoff monograph series on Legal Aspects of Sustainable Development (general series editor David Freestone), 397 pages (Leiden 2008).
    * Editor, together with Adam Stepien, “Reforming Mining Law in a Changing World, with Special Reference to Finland”, Juridica Lapponica publication series (No. 34). 2008 Rovaniemi.
    * “Climate Governance in the Arctic”, editor, together with Carina Keskitalo and Nigel Bankes, 450 pages. Springer, 2009.
    * Understanding and Strengthening European Union-Canada Relations in Law of the Sea and Ocean Governance, Editors: Timo Koivurova, Aldo Chircop, Erik Franckx, Erik J. Molenaar, David L. VanderZwaag, Juridica Lapponica 35, 593 pages
    * The Yearbook of Polar Law 2009. Editors-in-chiefs Gudmundur Alfredsson and Timo Koivurova, Volume 1, 2009. Martinus Nijhoff Publishers.
    * The Yearbook of Polar Law 2010. Editors-in-chiefs Gudmundur Alfredsson and Timo Koivurova, Volume 2, 2010. Martinus Nijhoff Publishers.


Refereed articles :

    * ”The Future of the Nordic Environment Protection Convention” in Nordic Journal of International Law (1997), No. 4 (pp. 505-526).
    * ”The Transnational EIA procedure of the Espoo Convention” in the Finnish Yearbook of International Law (1997), Vol. VIII (pp. 161-199).
    * The Case of Vuotos: Interplay between International, Community and National Environmental Law. Julkaisussa Review of European Community & International Environmental Law (RECIEL) Vol. 13, Issue 1 (2004), ss. 47-60.
    * Timo Koivurova and Leena Heinämäki, "The Participation of Indigenous Peoples in International Norm-making in the Arctic" in Vol. 42, No. 221, April 2006, Polar Record (pp. 101-109).
    * Draft Nordic Saami Convention" in European Yearbook of Minority Issues (Martinus Nijhoff Publishers), Volume 6, 2006/7, pp. 103-136
    * "Ilmastonmuutoksesta johtuvien riitojen vieminen kansainväliseen oikeudelliseen menettelyyn", Oikeus 4/2006. Bringing the Disputes caused by Climate Change to International Legal Proceedings. (pp. 514-537).
    * "The Arctic Council at 10 Years: Retrospect and Prospects" in University of British Columbia Law Review 40:1 (2007), (pp. 121-194). Joint article with professor David VanderZwaag.
    * "International Court of Justice and Peoples" in Special Issue of International Community Law Review, Vol. 9, No. 2, 2007, examining the role of non-state actors in the 60 year old ICJ, pp. 157-180 (special editors Catherine Brölmann and Marius Emberland).
    * "International Legal Avenues to Address the Plight of Victims of Climate Change: Problems and Prospects" in Journal of Environmental Law and Litigation, Vol. 22 (2), 2007, pp. 267-299.
    * "Alternatives for an Arctic Treaty - Evaluation and a New Proposal" in European Community & International Environmental Law, RECIEL 17 (1) 2008, Special International Polar Year Issue, pp.14-26.
    * "From High Hopes to Disillusionment: Indigenous peoples’ Struggle to (Re)gain Their Right to Self-Determination" in International Journal on Minority and Group Rights, issue 15 (2008) pp. 1-26.
    * ”Draft for a Nordic Saami Convention: Nations Working Together” in International Community Law Review 10 (2008), pp. 279-293.
    * "Due Diligence" in Max Planck Encyclopedia of Public International Law, 2008. 9 pages.
    * "Transboundary Environmental Assessment in the Arctic" in Vol. 26 Impact Assessment and Project Appraisal, No. 4, December 2008.
    * ”Rajat ylittävä ympäristövaikutusten arviointi – vaihtoehtotarkastelun riittävyys ja suhde lupapäätöksentekoon” Lakimies 3/2009. Together with Ismo Pölönen.
    * "Governance of protected areas in the Arctic" in Utrecht Law Review, Volume 5, Issue 1, June 2009 - Special on Protected Areas in Environmental Law
    * Limits and possibilities of the Arctic Council in a rapidly changing scene of Arctic governance. Polar Record. Page 1 of 11, Cambridge University Press 2009.
    * "A Note on the European Union’s Integrated Maritime Policy" in  Ocean Development & International Law, Vol.  Volume 40, issue 2, April 2009, pp. 171-183.
    * "Do the continental shelf developments challenge the Polar Regimes?" In The Yearbook of Polar Law, pp. 477-498, Vol. 1, 2009.
    * Transboundary Environmental Impact Assessment in the Case of the Baltic Sea Gas Pipeline, in International Journal of Marine and Coastal Law 25 (2010) 151–181
    * "Canada, the EU and the Arctic Ocean Governance: A Tangled and Shifting Seascape and Future Directions" in Journal of Transnational Law and Policy,Volume 18, Number 2, (Spring 2010), pp. 247-288. Joint article with professors Erik Molenaar and David VanderZwaag.
    * Sovereign States and Self-Determining Peoples: Carving Out a Place for Transnational Indigenous Peoples in a World of Sovereign States, in International Community Law Review 12 (2010) pp. 191–212.
    * • “A New Ocean to Govern: Drawing on Lessons from Marine Management to govern the Emerging Arctic Ocean” in The Future of International Environmental Law (eds. D. Leary and B. Pisupati). United Nations University Press 2010 (review process), pp. 179-200. Together with Sébastien Duyck.
    * "Governing Arctic Shipping: Finding a Role for the Arctic Council" in The Yearbook of Polar Law 2010, pp. 115-138.
    * "Jurisprudence of the European Court of Human Rights Regarding Indigenous Peoples: Retrospect and Prospects", in International Journal on Minority and Group Rights 18 (2011) pp. 1–37.



Book chapters and other articles:

    * “The Legal Status of International Arctic Cooperation” in Security in the European North: From ‘Hard’ to ‘Soft’ (eds. Heininen L. and Lassinantti G.), (pp. 143-160). Kansainvälinen ympäristöoikeus: alistava vai valtaistava tekijä arktisella alueella. Kosmopolis No. 4, 2002, ss. 79-86. “International Environmental Law – Subjugatory or Emancipatory Factor in the Arctic ”.
    * An article in Finnish about environmental impact assessment in the Arctic for the honorary publication for the environmental law professor of the faculty of law of the University of Lapland , Kyösti Holma (22 pages). Lapin yliopistopaino, Rovaniemi 2002.
    * “What is the Principle of Due Diligence”. Julkaisussa Essays in International Law for Martti Koskenniemi (toim. Petman J. & Klabbers J.), ss. 341-349. Martinus Nijhoff Publishers 2003.
    * “The Regime of the Espoo Convention in the Arctic ; Towards a Strategic Environmental Assessment Procedure” in Arctic Governance (eds. Koivurova T., Joona T. ja Shnoro R.), Juridica lapponica No. 29. Oy Sevenprint Ltd. 2004.
    * Voidaanko ilmastonmuutosta hidastaa oikeusteitse? Pohdintoja inuittien ihmisoikeusvalituksesta Amerikan ihmisoikeustoimikuntaan (yhteisartikkeli Leena Heinämäen kanssa) in Kari Hakapää. Kansainvälistyvä oikeus, Kari Hakapään juhlakirja (toimittaja Timo Koivurova), pp. 39-56. Lapin yliopiston oikeustieteellisiä julkaisuja C 41. Is it possible to slow down the climate change via litigation? Reflections on the human rights petition by the Inuit (joint article with Leena Heinämäki)
    * “The Importance of International Environmental Law in the Arctic ” in the Finnish Yearbook of International Law (2003), Vol. XIV, (pp. 341-351)
    * "Environmental Protection in the Arctic and the Antarctic: Can the Polar Regimes Learn from Each Other" in Vol. 33, No. 2, summer 2005, International Journal of Legal Information (pp. 204-218).
    * "The Convention on Environmental Impact Assessment in a Transboundary Context" in Making Treaties Work (edited by Ulfstein G in collaboration with Marauhn T., and Zimmermann A.), pp. 218-239. Cambridge University Press 2007.
    * ’Transboundary Environmental Impact Assessment: An Introduction’ together with Dr. Kees Bastmeijer in Theory and Practise of Transboundary Environmental Impact Assessment" (eds. Bastmeijer and Koivurova), Martinus Nijhoff monograph series on Legal Aspects of Sustainable Development (general series editor David Freestone), pp. 1-25.
    * ’Transboundary Environmental Impact Assessment: The Nordic Environment Protection Convention’ in Theory and Practise of Transboundary Environmental Impact Assessment" (eds. Bastmeijer and Koivurova), Martinus Nijhoff monograph series on Legal Aspects of Sustainable Development (general series editor David Freestone), pp. 71-91.
    * ’Implementing Guidelines for Environmental Impact Assessment in the Arctic ’ in Theory and Practise of Transboundary Environmental Impact Assessment" (eds. Bastmeijer and Koivurova), Martinus Nijhoff monograph series on Legal Aspects of Sustainable Development (general series editor David Freestone), pp. 151-173.
    * ’Conclusions: Globalisation of Transboundary Environmental Impact Assessment’ together with Dr. Kees Bastmeijer in Theory and Practise of Transboundary Environmental Impact Assessment" (eds. Bastmeijer and Koivurova), Martinus Nijhoff monograph series on Legal Aspects of Sustainable Development (general series editor David Freestone), pp. 347-389.
    * ”Alkuperäiskansojen itsemääräämisoikeus kansainvälisessä oikeudessa”, julkaisussa Oikeus kansainvälisessä maailmassa (Ilkka Saraviidan juhlakirja, toimittajat M. Aarto ja M. Vartiainen), ss. 249-269.
    * “How to Revise Finnish Mining Act” in Reforming Mining Law in a Changing World, with Special Reference to Finland”, Juridica Lapponica publication series (No. 34), pp. 187-205.
    * “Proposal for a new Mining Act - Old or Fresh Wine in a New Bottle” (together with professor Kai Kokko), in Reforming Mining Law in a Changing World, with Special Reference to Finland”, Juridica Lapponica publication series (No. 34), pp. 206-212.
    * “Climate Governance in the Arctic: Introduction and Theoretical Framework, Keskitalo C., Koivurova T. and Bankes N., in “Climate Governance in the Arctic”, (editors T. Koivurova, C. Keskitalo and N. Bankes), pp. 1-26. Springer, 2009.
    * “The Climate Policy of the Arctic Council”, T. Koivurova and W. Hasanat, pp. 51-76, in “Climate Governance in the Arctic”, (editors T. Koivurova, C. Keskitalo and N. Bankes), pp. 51-76. Springer, 2009.
    * “Conclusions on Climate Governance in the Arctic” C. Keskitalo, T. Koivurova and N. Bankes in pp.  “Climate Governance in the Arctic”, (editors T. Koivurova, C. Keskitalo and N. Bankes), pp. 429-443. Springer, 2009.
    * “Introduction”, together with Aldo Chircop, Erik Franckx, Erik J. Molenaar, and David L. VanderZwaag, in Understanding and Strengthening European Union-Canada Relations in Law of the Sea and Ocean Governance, Juridica Lapponica 35, pp. 1-6.
    * “Comparing the Integrated Maritime Policy of the European Union and the Oceans Policy of Canada” in Understanding and Strengthening European Union-Canada Relations in Law of the Sea and Ocean Governance, Juridica Lapponica 35, pp. 19-34.
    * “Canada, the European Union, and Arctic Ocean Governance: A Tangled and Shifting Seascape and Future Directions”, together with Erik J. Molenaar and David L. VanderZwaag, in Understanding and Strengthening European Union-Canada Relations in Law of the Sea and Ocean Governance, Juridica Lapponica 35, pp. 107-146.
    * “Canadian Arctic Offshore Oil and Natural Gas and European Union Energy Diversification: Towards a New Perspective?”together with Jerome D. Davis and Kamrul Hossain, Understanding and Strengthening European Union-Canada Relations in Law of the Sea and Ocean Governance, Juridica Lapponica 35, pp. 227-264.
    * "Nordic countries: Finland" in Yearbook of International Environmental Law. Oxford University Press, 2009. Vol. 19 (2008), p. 461-466.
    * "Protecting the Environment or Preventing Military Conflicts? in Journal of Environmental Law and Policy, June 2010, Volume 40, No. 4, pp. 166-172
    * "Environmental Protection in the Arctic and Antarctica" in Polar Law Textbook (ed. Natalia Loukacheva), pp. 23-44. Nordic Council of Ministers 2010.
    * "Transboundary Environmental Impact Assessment in the Case of the Baltic Sea Gas Pipeline" in German Yearbook of International law, Volume 52, 2009, pp. 293-326 (joint article with Ismo Pölönen).


Other scientific works :

    * Baltic Rim Economies, ISSUE NO. 4, 31 AUGUST 2009. The Baltic Sea gas pipeline - can we manage it sustainably? in page 23 by Timo Koivurova and Ismo Pölönen. Published by Pan European Institute.
    * Country reports of Finland to the Yearbook of International Environmental Law:
          o Vol 12, 2001 (pp. 409-413);
          o Vol 13, 2002 (pp. 481-484);
          o Vol 14, 2003 (pp.439-443);
          o Vol 15, 2004 (pp. 395-398);
          o Vol 16, 2005 (pp. 564-568);
          o Vol 17, 2006 (pp. 506-512).
          o Vol 18, 2007 (pp. 403-410).
    * Book review of the book by Dr. Eyassu Gayim “The Concept of Minority in International Law” in the Finnish Yearbook of International Law (2000), pp. 426-428
    * Book review of the Finnish collection of treaties in international environmental law, edited by Tuomas Kuokkanen and Juhani Parkkari in Lakimies (2/2005), pp. 326-331.
    * Book review of Philippe Sands’ book “Lawless World: America and the Making and Breaking of Global Rules” in Ulkopolitiikka 2/2005, pp. 79-80.
    * Lectio preacursoria in the Finnish Yearbook of International Law (2001), pp. 439-442.
    * An article in a book “How do I became a doctor of law” (editors Heikki Halila and Pekka Timonen) in pp. 528-532. 2003 Suomalainen lakimiesyhdistys.
    * An article about participatory planning to the Conference proceedings of the reindeer herding conference together with the director of the Arctic Centre, Paula Kankaanpää. Arctic Centre Reports 36, Edita Prima Ltd. 2002, pp. 55-57.
    * I and Sanna Valkonen made a report of the development of the Arctic Council’s project on Arctic environmental impact assessment. The report was made for the Ministry of the Environment in Finnish and is about 80 pages. It has not been published but was made only to assist in the decision-making processes of the Ministry of the Environment.
    * Environmental Assessment of Natural Resource Exploitation in the Arctic : Towards Strategic Environmental Assessment. Circumpolar Connections; Proceedings of the 8th Circumpolar Universities Cooperation Conference (pp. 32-37). Circumpolar Universities Association 2003.
    * Written Evaluation of the licenciate thesis by Tuula Kolari to the University of Joensuu (Department of law), 12 pages, unpublished (on file with the author).
    * Written Evaluation of the doctoral thesis “From Hot Air to Action? Climate Change, Compliance and the future of International Environmental Law” by Meinhard Doelle to the Dalhousie Law School , 3 pages, unpublished (on file with the author).
    * Joint Scientific Statement with Lotta Viikari to the Parliamentary Group of the Green party of the environmental dispute between Uruguay and Argentina.
    * Scientific Statement to the ministry of justice and to the Sami Parliament on the draft Nordic Sami Convention (given on 11.5.2006).
    * "Transboundary EIA in the North Calotte Region from the Perspectives of International and European Union Law" in Environmental Impact Assessment in the North Calotte Transboundary Areas, pp. 40-50. The publication series of the North Calotte Council, Report No. 69.
    * Book review of "Conflicts in international environmental law" by Rüdiger Wolfrum and Nele Matz, Vol. XV Finnish Yearbook of International Law, ss. 381-384 (2004).
    * Book review article: Reflections on the Role of International Environmental Law. Oran Young, The Institutional Dimension of Environmental Change: Fit, Interplay and Scale (Massachusetts: MIT Press, 2002), 221 pages. Yearbook of International Environmental Law 2006, pp. 817-838.
    * "Oikeustieteen ja oikeuspolitiikan suhde arktisessa tutkimuksessa", Oikeus 2007:4, pp. 429-433. The relationship between legal science to legal policy-making in Arctic research.
    * The limits of the Arctic Council, in Proceedings of the Fourth NRF Open Meeting, pp. 186-188 (pdf).
    *  Research reports related to the Arctic Transform project:
          o Introduction to the background papers: Erik J. Molenaar, Netherlands Institute for the Law of the Sea Robert Corell, Heinz Center Timo Koivurova, Arctic Centre Sandra Cavalieri, Ecologic
          o Summary in Indigenous Peoples in the Arctic: Timo Koivurova, Arctic Centre Henna Tervo, Arctic Centre Adam Stepien, Arctic Centre
          o  Summary in Offshore Hydrocarbon in the Arctic: Timo Koivurova, Arctic Centre Kamrul Hossain, Arctic Centre.
    * Headnote ILDC 32, Vuotos case, Supreme Administrative Court, 2002:86, published on 28 May 2009, online Oxford Reports on International Law in Domestic Courts.
    * Book review of "Nicolas de Sadeleer’s (ed.) Implementing the Precautionary Principle; Approaches from the Nordic Countries, EU and USA" in Yearbook of International Environmental Law, pp. 793-800.
    * "Is there a Race to Resources in the Polar Regions" in Canada’s and Europe’s Northern Dimensions (edited by Anita Dey Nuttall and Mark Nuttall), pp. 52.62.
    * Kuka omistaa Arktisen jäämeren? Ulkopolitiikka 4/2009, pp. 46-47. Who owns the Arctic Ocean?
    * Sébastien Duyck, Timo Koivurova and Kai Kokko, EXECUTIVE SUMMARY, "Assessment of possible relations or implications of LBA Content Options 2 and 3 on selected international forest related agreements and on the EU (EC) competence (August 2009)".  Faculty of Law with Northern Institute for Environmental and Minority Law (NIEM), can be downloaded from the Ministerial Conference on the Protection of Forests in Europe (MCPFE) - website. This Executive summary is based on the report submitted to the MCPFE "Assessment of possible implications of LBA Content Options 2 and 3 on selected international forest related agreements and on the EC/EU competence" (111 pages), by the same authors.
    * “International Governance and Regulation of the Marine Arctic”. Three reports prepared for the WWF International Arctic Programme by Timo Koivurova and Erik J. Molenaar, I. Overview and Gap Analysis (53 pages), II. Options for Addressing Identified Gaps (34 pages), III. A Proposal for a Legally Binding Instrument (22 pages. Reports can be downloaded from here.
    * Koivurova, Timo. (2011). Environmental law—Arctic. In Klaus Bosselmann, Daniel Fogel, and J. B. Ruhl (Eds.), The Encyclopedia of Sustainability, Vol. 3: The Law and Politics of Sustainability, pp. 200–205. Great Barrington, MA: Berkshire Publishing.
    * Module 4 "International Law in the Arctic" on-line article for University of the Arctic's Circumpolar studies core course curriculum, BCS 332: Contemporary issues in the Circumpolar World II, available September 2011.
    * Final Report to the European Union’s Commission DG Environment on EU Arctic footprint and policy assessment, 160 pages and annexes (one of the lead authors) and the report summary, 26 pages.
    * EU Policy in the Arctic: EU Competences Affecting The Arctic. Briefing Report to the European Union’s Parliament as background information on the discussions on EU’s Arctic policy. Timo Koivurova, Kai Kokko, Sebastien Duyck, Nikolas Sellheim and Adam Stepien, 53 pages.

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