Research by NILOS

Water and Sustainability

NILOS staff participate in the research program Water and Sustainability of the School of Law of Utrecht University. This research program is based in the Utrecht Centre for Water, Oceans and Sustainability Law.

The main research question of the research programme ‘Water and Sustainability’ is: what contribution can law deliver to a sustainable management of oceans and freshwater systems, on the basis of mutual responsibilities, and to the pursuit of an equitable distribution of associated natural resources?

Current research of NILOS staff in the framework of this central research question among others concerns:

  • Global and regional regulation of marine capture fisheries;
  • The regime of offshore installations;
  • The legal regime of the polar oceans;
  • The developing regime of areas beyond national jurisdiction;
  • Dispute settlement in the law of the sea;
  • Maritime boundary delimitation and the regime of disputed maritime areas;
  • The outer limits of the continental shelf;
  • The regime for mining activities in the Area;

Further information on the research activities of NILOS: Publications.

Research Projects

NILOS staff also participate in the following collaborative research projects:

  • The Judicial Jurisdiction project;
  • The ProAct project: Proactive Management of Antarctic Tourism: Exploring the Role of ATS Principles and Values and Best Practices Beyond the ATS;
  • The ANTARC-SHIP project: Fostering environmental stewardship among Antarctic tourism governance actors and institutions.

Past projects:

Research Visits

NILOS offers researchers the opportunity to conduct a research visit at NILOS.