Carina Bury is a rising voice in public international law and a Postdoctoral Fellow and Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellow applicant whose work is reshaping the discussion around international treaty implementation. Her scholarly record is distinguished by a summa cum laude PhD from the University of Hamburg and a competitive grant from the German Federal Environmental Foundation.
Her doctoral research provided a forensic and pragmatic analysis of how biodiversity treaty law challenges and reshapes self-governing autonomy. With a specific focus on the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, her groundbreaking comparative study of Germany's and Australia's federal challenges in implementing the convention has offered actionable insights into complex legal domains.
Carina is currently pursuing her Post-Doctoral project (Habilitation) titled INTERSUBJECTS, under the joint supervision of three distinguished scholars: Professor Donald R. Rothwell from the Australian National University Law School, Professor Brenda Gunn from the University of Manitoba Law School, and Professor Anne Peters from the Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law (MPIL). This project addresses the urgent need to reconceptualise international legal subjects beyond the traditional state-centric model by developing a new legal theory that includes a variety of non-state actors.
Carina's work significantly contributes to legal scholarship by addressing critical gaps and providing fresh perspectives on some of the most pressing legal issues of our time.
Carina's work significantly contributes to legal scholarship by addressing critical gaps and providing fresh perspectives on some of the most pressing legal issues of our time.
Current Book Projects
- Redefining Sovereignty: How Biodiversity Treaty Law Challenges and Reshapes Self-Governing Autonomy; A Case Study of Germany’s and Australia’s Federal Challenges in Implementing the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of 1971 (PhD Dissertation, under review with Cambridge University Press). Preprint available in the "Publications" section of this website. The book "Redefining Sovereignty" is an in-depth analysis of how international biodiversity treaties challenge and reshape the domestic governance of federal states. Using the Ramsar Convention as a case study, it provides a comprehensive conclusion on the extent to which federal states must adapt their frameworks to effectively implement these treaties.
- A Legal Theory Systematising the International Legal Status of Indigenous Peoples and Deliberative Democracy Initiatives (Postdoctoral Monograph, 2028): This forthcoming monograph offers a systematic exploration of the international legal status of Indigenous Peoples, investigating how deliberative democracy can shape their rights and recognition. It is an ambitious project, but one that seeks to contribute a robust theoretical framework to an evolving and critical area of law.
- Carina Bury and Donald R. Rothwell (eds.), Implementation of the Ramsar Convention (tba, 2028): Co-edited with Donald Rothwell, this volume will provide an in-depth look at the practicalities of implementing the Ramsar Convention. It's a collaborative effort that aims to offer valuable insights into the challenges and successes of international environmental agreements on the ground.