An internationally renowned expert in Environmental Law is coming to the University of Manitoba with a much-needed research program, thanks to the new Eddie Goldenberg Research Chair in Climate, Environment and Property Law. The Faculty of Law looks forward to welcoming from Australia, Dr. Benjamin J. Richardson to Robson Hall, starting June 1, 2027.
“Ben Richardson’s appointment to the Eddie Goldenberg Research Chair in Climate, Environment and Property Law is a tremendous moment for the Faculty of Law,” said Dr. Richard Jochelson, Dean of Law. “The federal government’s initial $8 million investment in this Chair represents an extraordinary vote of confidence in the UM Faculty of Law and in the importance of building research capacity around the legal dimensions of climate change, sustainability and economic transition.”
Dr. Richardson is a global scholar specialising in environmental law, property law, corporate social responsibility and legal issues concerning Indigenous peoples, plus he dabbles in film studies and art history. Currently serving as a Professor in Environmental Law at the University of Tasmania (Hobart), he holds BA and LLB degrees from Macquarie University (Sydney), and a PhD in Law and Environmental Science from the Australian National University (Canberra). His 30-year career in academia includes positions at the University of Manchester, the University of Auckland, and York University (Toronto, ON). He also previously held a Senior Canada Research Chair in Environmental Law and Sustainability at the University of British Columbia and remains active in Canadian academia through ongoing research collaborations and visiting teaching appointments.
Helping Canada respond to climate change
"I am greatly honoured to join the University of Manitoba, and I look forward to putting down roots — both literally and legally — in a province where the land itself demands innovative thinking on nature conservation," Dr. Richardson reflects. "I am excited to build collaborative bridges across disciplines and communities, pioneering research that helps Canada’s laws grow as resilient as the ecosystems they aim to protect."
At UM, law students will benefit from his teaching expertise in the areas of property and environmental law, and he will also be working to establish the new Property and Climate Transitions Law Lab (PACT). His research program at UM will examine how property law can be reimagined to help Canada respond to climate change, biodiversity loss and the need for more community-based environmental stewardship. Focusing on private lands, Indigenous, Métis and Inuit territories, and public lands from the Prairies to the Arctic, the program will study how legal tools such as conservation covenants, Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas, and other conservation measures can better support ecosystem restoration and climate resilience. Combining legal analysis with community case studies, stakeholder engagement and comparative research, the work will produce practical law reform proposals, policy tools and models that governments, communities and conservation organizations can use to support more adaptive and inclusive approaches to land stewardship.
Committed to conservancy
Beyond academia, Dr Richardson has worked for the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service in Sydney, and the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) in Kathmandu and Nairobi. He volunteers for various community and professional organisations, including the Tasmanian Independent Science Council. Interestingly, he once owned and managed a private nature sanctuary in Tasmania called ‘Blue Mountain View’, where he established a conservation covenant to ensure its enduring protection.
“Ben is an outstanding scholar with an international reputation, and he brings precisely the kind of intellectual ambition and collaborative spirit that will thrive here,” said Jochelson. “His arrival also allows us to build much-needed in-house strength in environmental law, creating new opportunities for our students, faculty and partners across Manitoba and beyond. We are absolutely delighted to welcome him to the Faculty of Law.”
Some of Dr. Richardson’s publications include:
A top prairie university
The UM Faculty of Law is the only law school in Canada so far this year to be a successful applicant under what was formerly called the Canada Impact+ Research Chairs program. The University of Manitoba was awarded five Eddie Goldenberg Research Chairs of Canada, which brings a $79 million investment to UM. The five scholars will lead ambitious research programs to address some of Canada’s most pressing economic and social challenges. “This investment in securing international top talent will ensure Canada remains at the forefront of knowledge translation and commercialization,” said Mario Pinto, Vice-President (Research and International).
Besides Dr. Richardson, the other Research Chairs include:
- Patricia Garcia Diagnostic Systems for Health Equity: From Discovery to Delivery
- Sanket Goel Translating Cyber Physical Sensory Systems to Reimagine Health and Prosperity
- Igor Polyakov Arctic Physical Oceanography
- Peter Reiners Geoscience of Subsurface Fluid-Rock Systems for Solutions in Sustainability and Security
