By Debora Smith

The students in Howard Latin's "International Sustainable Development: Economics, Law and Policy" course may be sitting in a classroom in Newark, but their minds are being transported to the savannas of Africa, coral reefs of the Philippines, Himalayan forests of Pakistan and rain forests of Indonesia and Papua New Guinea.

Latin's course at the School of Law--Newark open to graduate students in law, business and other departments, focuses on ways to boost economic growth while conserving natural resources in developing countries.

Along with classroom assignments, students work on projects set up by EcoVitality, an environmental NGO (nongovernmental organization) founded by Latin in 1998 after he returned from a year as a Fulbright Scholar in South Africa.

"My students work on EcoVitality projects that closely integrate conservation and development," Latin says. "I believe effective conservation programs must offer the people in poor nations what they want most -- better economic opportunities -- in return for our obtaining stronger environmental commitments from them.

"I've been an environmental law scholar and teacher for 25 years," Latin continues. "But after a decade of research in developing nations, it became clear that whenever environmental law and education collide with economic development interests, the development pressures almost always win out. I teach my students that the presence of environmental law and education on paper does not mean these efforts will prevail in poor countries (or rich ones) when confronted by powerful economic priorities."

EcoVitality has started several projects that attempt to bridge the gap between economics and ecology. "In our African project, for example, students soon recognize that environmental laws and education are not going to solve the age-old conflict between tribal livestock owners and large African predators such as lions, leopards and cheetahs. Unless we develop new economic incentives for communities to protect rather than exterminate the predators, no amount of education is going to counteract the economic and social losses the tribal people may suffer from predator incursions," Latin cautions.

One solution can be found in ecotourism, and EcoVitality is conducting wildlife safaris in Namibia this summer to raise funds for predator conservation projects. Ecotourism directly benefits local villages while providing an incentive for protecting the predators, which are the main attractions of these tours. "Our program aims to show African communities that predators can become economic assets valuable enough to offset any losses from occasional predation," Latin says.

This focus on participation in meaningful projects is at the heart of Latin's course. He says: "If people are going to invest their time in international conservation efforts, they must understand the specific economic, ecological and cultural conditions necessary for conservation projects to have a realistic chance of success. Paper environmental laws and education materials at the center of most academic courses on conservation and sustainable development are not working. Having students participate in real projects gives them a firmer grasp on the vital problems, constraints and possibilities in the regions where the world's most abundant biodiversity is located."

Tara Breslow, a student in Latin's class, agrees. "The project part of the course has the potential of affecting diverse people as well as the environment on a global level. At the same time, we use academic and legal theories in practical applications," she says.

"My travels allowed me to see firsthand the environmental devastation in developing countries," says classmate Mike Gonzales, who has traveled to 80 countries and circled the globe three times during the past decades. "I felt such a sense of impending doom. This course is a really positive experience in that it addresses real issues that have global implications."

Latin, the Justice John J. Francis Scholar at the law school, has been a Fulbright Scholar twice, traveling to Australia to study the deteriorating health of the world's oceans and to South Africa to explore ways to make ecosystem and wildlife conservation more profitable for poor nations and poor people. He is the author of numerous articles on torts, products liability, and law and economics, as well as environmental law.

For more information on EcoVitality projects with student involvement, visit the Web site at   www.ecovitality.org