Professor Justine Bell-James
Professor & Director of Higher Degree Research
TC Beirne School of Law
Affiliate of Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science
Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science
Affiliate of Centre for Marine Science
Centre for Marine Science
Affiliate of Centre for Public, International and Comparative Law
Centre for Public, International and Comparative Law
+61 7 336 56588
W407 Forgan Smith Building, St Lucia campus.
Researcher biography
Justine Bell-James is a Professor at the TC Beirne School of Law with expertise in environmental and climate change law. She holds a PhD from QUT (2010) and was a postdoctoral research fellow at UQ's Global Change Institute from 2011-2013.
Justine’s main research interest is legal mechanisms for the protection, management and restoration of coastal and marine ecosystems. She has led projects funded by the Australian Research Council, CSIRO, and the National Environmental Science Program. Currently she is leading the legal component of two National Environmental Science Program projects related to upscaling coastal wetland restoration.
Justine's work on legal mechanisms to facilitate blue carbon projects in Australia and internationally informed the development of a 'blue carbon' methodology under Australia's Emissions Reduction Fund. This methodology has allowed for the carbon abatement generated by particular coastal restoration activities to receive Australian Carbon Credit Units. Much of her research now focuses on remaining legal barriers to upscaling coastal and marine restoration, including legal permitting processes and land tenure.
Justine's work cuts across disciplines, and she is an affiliated researcher with UQ's Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science. Her recent collaborations and consultancies have involved colleagues from science, industry, NGOs, government and legal practice.
Justine also has expertise in climate change litigation, and her work on opportunities for litigation under Queensland's Human Rights Act 2019 has underpinned the successful Waratah Coal case decided by Queensland's Land Court in 2022.
Publications
Books
Maguire, Rowena, Hamman, Evan, Bell-James, Justine, Kennedy, Amanda and England, Philippa (2020). Environmental, Planning and Climate Law in Queensland. Chatswood, NSW, Australia: LexisNexis.
Bell, Justine (2014). Climate change and coastal development law in Australia. Annandale, NSW, Australia: Federation Press.
Book Chapters
Bell-James, Justine (2021). Climate change litigation in Australia. Climate Change Litigation: A Handbook. (pp. 288-303) edited by Wolfgang Kahl and Marc-Philippe Weller. Oxford, United Kingdom: Bloomsbury Publishing.
Bell-James, Justine (2020). Ecosystem-based adaptation in coastal areas: lessons from selected case studies. Research handbook on climate change, oceans and coasts. (pp. 348-365) edited by Jan McDonald, Jeffrey McGee and Richard Barnes. Cheltenham, United Kingdom: Edward Elgar. doi: 10.4337/9781788112239.00027
Bell-James, Justine (2019). Climate change. Environmental law in Australia. (pp. 683-714) edited by Gerry Bates. Australia: LexisNexis.
Bell-James, Justine (2018). 'Blue carbon' and the need to integrate mitigation, adaptation and conservation goals within the international climate law framework. Global Environmental Change and Innovation in International Law. (pp. 81-101) edited by Neil Craik, Cameron Jefferies, Sara Seck and Tim Stephens. Cambridge, United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press. doi: 10.1017/9781108526081.006
Journal Articles
Bell-James, Justine and Watson, James E. M. (2025). Ambitions in national plans do not yet match bold international protection and restoration commitments. Nature Ecology & Evolution, 9 (3) 2096, 1-8. doi: 10.1038/s41559-025-02636-4
Bell-James, Justine, Shumway, Nicole, Villarreal-Rosas, Jaramar, Andradi-Brown, Dominic A., Brown, Christopher J., Fitzsimons, James A., Foster, Rose, Hamman, Evan, Lovelock, Catherine E., Saunders, Megan I. and Waltham, Nathan J. (2025). Upscaling marine and coastal restoration through legal and governance solutions: Lessons from global bright spots. Environmental Science and Policy, 163 103962, 103962. doi: 10.1016/j.envsci.2024.103962
Bell‐James, Justine, Foster, Rose, Frohlich, Miguel, Archibald, Carla, Benham, Claudia, Evans, Megan, Fidelman, Pedro, Morrison, Tiffany, Rolim Baggio, Liza, Billings, Peter and Shumway, Nicole (2024). Not all conservation “policy” is created equally: When does a policy give rise to legally binding obligations?. Conservation Letters, 17 (6) e13054. doi: 10.1111/conl.13054
Piccolo, Renee L., Buelow, Christina, Bell-James, Justine, Saunders, Megan I. and Brown, Christopher J. (2024). Are restoration plans missing the target? Land tenure and cyclone risks reshuffles priorities for mangrove restoration. Restoration Ecology, 32 (8) e14261, 1-12. doi: 10.1111/rec.14261
Atchison, Jennifer, Foster, Rose and Bell-James, Justine (2024). Blue carbon as just transition? A structured literature review. Global Sustainability, 7 e27. doi: 10.1017/sus.2024.24
Foster, Rose and Bell‐James, Justine (2024). Legal barriers and enablers to upscaling ecological restoration. Restoration Ecology, 32 (7) e14203. doi: 10.1111/rec.14203
Bell-James, Justine (2024). The global shift towards ecosystem restoration: What role for leasehold tenure?. Australian Property Law Journal, 31 (3), 183-212.
Bell-James, Justine, Foster, Rose, Shumway, Nicole, Lovelock, Catherine E., Villarreal-Rosas, Jaramar, Brown, Christopher J., Andradi-Brown, Dominic A., Saunders, Megan I., Waltham, Nathan J. and Fitzsimons, James A. (2024). The Global Biodiversity Framework’s ecosystem restoration target requires more clarity and careful legal interpretation. Nature Ecology and Evolution, 8 (5), 840-841. doi: 10.1038/s41559-024-02389-6
Bell‐James, Justine, Foster, Rose and Shumway, Nicole (2023). The permitting process for marine and coastal restoration: A barrier to achieving global restoration targets?. Conservation Science and Practice, 5 (12) e13050. doi: 10.1111/csp2.13050
Bell‐James, Justine (2023). Overcoming legal barriers to coastal wetland restoration – lessons from Australia’s Blue Carbon methodology. Restoration Ecology, 31 (7) e13780. doi: 10.1111/rec.13780
Bell-James, Justine (2023). From the Silo to the Landscape: The Role of Law in Landscape-scale Restoration of Coastal and Marine Ecosystems. Journal of Environmental Law, 35 (3), 1-18. doi: 10.1093/jel/eqad027
Wray-Jones, Nicholas and Bell-James, Justine (2023). The promise and potential of Queensland’s Human Rights Act for Indigenous Peoples — interpreting the ‘environmental right’. Monash University Law Review, 49 (1), 118-150.
Brockett, Callum, Woolaston, Katie, Deane, Felicity, Humphries, Fran, Kumar, Ethan, Kennedy, Amanda and Bell-James, Justine (2023). Best practice mechanisms for biodiversity conservation law and policy. Cambridge Prisms: Extinction, 1 e16, 1-17. doi: 10.1017/ext.2023.14
Bell-James, Justine, Foster, Rose and Lovelock, Catherine E. (2023). Identifying priorities for reform to integrate coastal wetland ecosystem services into law and policy. Environmental Science and Policy, 142, 164-172. doi: 10.1016/j.envsci.2023.02.013
Bell-James, Justine, Fitzsimons, James A. and Lovelock, Catherine E. (2023). Land tenure, ownership and use as barriers to coastal wetland restoration projects in Australia: recommendations and solutions. Environmental Management, 72 (1), 179-189. doi: 10.1007/s00267-023-01817-w
Macreadie, Peter I., Robertson, Alistar I., Spinks, Bernadette, Adams, Matthew P., Atchison, Jennifer M., Bell-James, Justine, Bryan, Brett A., Chu, Long, Filbee-Dexter, Karen, Drake, Lauren, Duarte, Carlos M., Friess, Daniel A., Gonzalez, Felipe, Grafton, R. Quentin, Helmstedt, Kate J., Kaebernick, Melanie, Kelleway, Jeffrey, Kendrick, Gary A., Kennedy, Hilary, Lovelock, Catherine E., Megonigal, J. Patrick, Maher, Damien T., Pidgeon, Emily, Rogers, Abbie A., Sturgiss, Rob, Trevathan-Tackett, Stacey M., Wartman, Melissa, Wilson, Kerrie A. and Rogers, Kerrylee (2022). Operationalizing marketable blue carbon. One Earth, 5 (5), 485-492. doi: 10.1016/j.oneear.2022.04.005
Bell-James, Justine and Collins, Briana (2022). Human rights and climate change litigation: should temporal imminence form part of positive rights obligations?. Journal of Human Rights and the Environment, 13 (1), 212-237. doi: 10.4337/jhre.2022.01.09
Bell‐James, Justine, Fitzsimons, James A., Gillies, Chris L., Shumway, Nicole and Lovelock, Catherine E. (2022). Rolling covenants to protect coastal ecosystems in the face of sea‐level rise. Conservation Science and Practice, 4 (1) e593. doi: 10.1111/csp2.593
Shumway, Nicole, Bell-James, Justine, Fitzsimons, James A., Foster, Rose, Gillies, Chris and Lovelock, Catherine E. (2021). Policy solutions to facilitate restoration in coastal marine environments. Marine Policy, 134 104789, 104789. doi: 10.1016/j.marpol.2021.104789
Archibald, Carla L., Dade, Marie C., Sonter, Laura J., Bell-James, Justine, Boldy, Robyn, Cano, Beatriz, Friedman, Rachel S., Siqueira, Flavia Freire, Metzger, Jean Paul, Fitzsimons, James A. and Rhodes, Jonathan R. (2021). Do conservation covenants consider the delivery of ecosystem services?. Environmental Science and Policy, 115, 99-107. doi: 10.1016/j.envsci.2020.08.016
Bell-James, Justine (2020). Ecosystem services as a metaphor in environmental law: balancing intrinsic and instrumental values. University of Queensland Law Journal, 39 (3), 525-548. doi: 10.38127/uqlj.v39i3.5663
Bell-James, Justine, Lovelock, Catherine E. and Phelan, Anya (2020). Introduction to the Special Issue on Ecosystem Services and Law. University of Queensland Law Journal, 39 (3), 389-390. doi: 10.38127/uqlj.v39i3.5651
Bell-James, Justine, Boardman, Tessa and Foster, Rose (2020). Can’t see the (mangrove) forest for the trees: Trends in the legal and policy recognition of mangrove and coastal wetland ecosystem services in Australia. Ecosystem Services, 45 101148, 101148. doi: 10.1016/j.ecoser.2020.101148
Bell-James, Justine and Collins, Briana (2020). Queensland's Human Rights Act: a new frontier for Australian climate change litigation?. University of New South Wales Law Journal, 43 (1), 3-38.
Bell-James, Justine and Briana Collins (2020). If we don't mine coal, someone else will: debunking the market substitution assumption in Queensland climate change litigation. Environmental and Planning Law Journal, 37 (2), 167-185.
Bell-James, Justine and Lovelock, Catherine E (2019). Legal barriers and enablers for reintroducing tides: An Australian case study in reconverting ponded pasture for climate change mitigation. Land Use Policy, 88 104192, 104192. doi: 10.1016/j.landusepol.2019.104192
Bell-James, Justine (2019). Integrating the ecosystem services paradigm into environmental law: a mechanism to protect mangrove ecosystems?. Journal of Environmental Law, 31 (2), 291-314. doi: 10.1093/jel/eqz010
Bell-James, Justine and Forrest, Craig (2019). Ecologically sustainable development and the Great Barrier Reef: a delicate balance of interests. Environmental and Planning Law Journal, 36 (2), 97-112.
Bell-James, Justine and Lovelock, Catherine E. (2019). Tidal boundaries and climate change mitigation – the curious case of ponded pastures. Australian Property Law Journal, 27 (2), 114-133.
Pointon, Revel and Bell-James, Justine (2019). The right to a healthy environment in Australia. Griffith Journal of Law and Human Dignity, 7 (2), 76-94. doi: 10.69970/gjlhd.v7i2.1185
Bell-James, Justine and Hou, Dorothy Hiu Wan (2018). The recent "careless mortgagee" exceptions to indefeasibility in Australia in light of New Zealand's Land Transfer Act 2017 (NZ) - an opportunity missed?. Australian Law Journal, 92 (12), 950-956.
Edwards, Ian, Bell-James, Justine and Lindfield, Mark (2018). The art of local government: A preliminary analysis of catastrophe bond’s potential to reduce the insurance gap. Insurance Law Journal, 29, 237-253.
Bell-James, Justine and Huggins, Anna (2017). Compliance with statutory directives and the negligence liability of public authorities: climate change and coastal development. Environmental and Planning Law Journal, 34 (5), 398-417.
Bell-James, Justine (2016). Developing a framework for "Blue Carbon" in Australia: legal and policy considerations. University of New South Wales Law Journal, 39 (4), 1583-1583.
Bell-James, Justine and Barker, Kit (2016). Public authority liability for negligence in the Post-Ipp era: sceptical reflections on the 'policy defence'. Melbourne University Law Review, 40 (1), 1-45.
Mills, Morena, Leon, Javier X., Saunders, Megan I., Bell, Justine, Liu, Yan, O’Mara, Julian, Lovelock, Catherine E., Mumby, Peter J., Phinn, Stuart, Possingham, Hugh P., Tulloch, Vigitskaia, Mutafoglu, Konar, Morrison, Tiffany, Callaghan, David, Baldock, Tom, Klein, Carissa and Hoegh-Guldberg, Ove (2016). Reconciling development and conservation under coastal squeeze from rising sea-level. Conservation Letters, 9 (5), 361-368. doi: 10.1111/conl.12213
Bell, Justine (2016). Implementing an outcomes-based approach to marine biodiversity offsets: lessons from the Great Barrier Reef. Australasian Journal of Environmental Management, 23 (3), 314-329. doi: 10.1080/14486563.2015.1081837
Mills, Morena, Mutafoglu, Konar, Adams, Vanessa M., Archibald, Carla, Bell, Justine and Leon, Javier X. (2016). Perceived and projected flood risk and adaptation in coastal Southeast Queensland, Australia. Climatic Change, 136 (3-4), 1-15. doi: 10.1007/s10584-016-1644-y
Bell-James, Justine (2016). Coastal defence structures – legal risks and legal opportunities. Local Government Law Journal, 21, 16-34.
Bell-James, Justine and Ryan, Sean (2016). Climate change litigation in Queensland: a case study in incrementalism. Environmental and Planning Law Journal, 33 (6), 515-537.
Bell, Justine and Morrison, Tiffany (2015). A comparative analysis of the transformation of governance systems: land-use planning for flood risk. Journal of Environmental Policy and Planning, 17 (4), 516-534. doi: 10.1080/1523908X.2014.986567
Bell, Justine, Saunders, Megan I., Leon, Javier X., Mills, Morena, Kythreotis, Andrew, Phinn, Stuart, Mumby, Peter J., Lovelock, Catherine E., Hoegh-Huldberg, Ove and Morrison, T. H. (2014). Maps, laws and planning policy: working with biophysical and spatial uncertainty in the case of sea level rise. Environmental Science and Policy, 44, 247-257. doi: 10.1016/j.envsci.2014.07.018
Bell, Justine, Saunders, Megan I., Lovelock, Catherine E. and Possingham, Hugh P. (2014). Legal frameworks for unique ecosystems – how can the EPBC Act offsets policy address the impact of development on seagrass?. Environmental and Planning Law Journal, 31 (1), 34-46.
Bell, Justine and Baker-Jones, Mark (2014). Retreat from retreat: the backward evolution of sea-level rise policy in Australia, and the implications for local government. Local Government Law Journal, 19, 23-35.
Lovelock, Catherine, Bell, Justine and Rogers, Kerrylee (2013). Carbon farming could restore Australia's southern coastal wetlands. ECOS (183) doi: 10.1071/ec13111
Bell, Justine and Lovelock, Catherine E. (2013). Insuring mangrove forests for their role in mitigating coastal erosion and storm-surge: an Australian case study. Wetlands, 33 (2), 279-289. doi: 10.1007/s13157-013-0382-4
Bell, Justine (2012). When will a flood be classified as a ‘flood’? A review of the Insurance Contracts Act reform. Insurance Law Journal, 23 (3), 312-323.
Bell, Justine (2012). Planning for climate change and sea level rise: Queensland's new coastal plan. Environmental and Planning Law Journal, 29 (1), 61-74.
Bell, Justine and Derrington, Sarah (2011). It's raining claims: Challenging decisions on insurance through the Financial Ombudsman Service. Proctor, 31 (9), 18-20.
Bell, Justine (2011). Flood insurance, denials of claim and the role of the Financial Ombudsman Service. Insurance Law Journal, 22 (1), 40-50.
Bell, Justine (2011). Tree clearing, hunger strikes and Kyoto targets – The need for a middle ground. Environmental and Planning Law Journal, 28 (3), 201-212.
Bell, Justine (2011). Insurance for extreme weather events in Australia – current policy trends, and future directions. Macquarie Journal of Business Law, 8, 339-357.
Bell, Justine (2011). A voice of reason: Reflections on Australia. Alternative Law Journal, 36 (1), 71.
Bell, Justine (2010). The shared land information platform in Western Australia: A blueprint for sustainable management of land?. Flinders Law Journal, 12 (2), 105-129.
Bell, Justine (2010). Greening the land title register - How can the land title register assist with sustainable decision-making?. Australian Property Law Journal, 18 (3), 263-284.
Bell, Justine and Christensen, Sharon (2009). Use of property rights registers for sustainability – A Queensland case study. Australian Property Law Journal, 17 (1), 86-103.
Conference Papers
Bell-James, Justine, Foster, Rose and Shumway, Nicole (2024). Solutions for marine and coastal restoration law reform. Australian Coastal Restoration Network Symposium, Sydney, NSW Australia, 28-29 May 2024.
Bell-James, Justine (2024). Restoration at scale – legal barriers and enablers. Reef Resilience Symposium, Cairns, QLD Australia, 16-18 April 2024.
Bell-James, Justine (2023). Untangling legal permitting pathways for coastal and marine restoration. 57th Annual Australian Marine Sciences Association Conference, Gold Coast, QLD, Australia, 2-6 July 2023.
Bell-James, Justine (2023). Legal mechanisms for managed retreat of coastal wetlands: an Australian perspective. At What Point Managed Retreat?: Habitability and Mobility in an Era of Climate Change, New York, United States (hybrid), 20-23 June 2023.
Bell-James, Justine (2023). Law as a barrier to (and enabler of) coastal restoration. Australian Coastal Restoration Network Symposium, Townsville, QLD Australia, 18-19 May 2023.
Bell-James, Justine (2023). Ecological restoration and offsets. National Environmental Law Association Webinar Series, Online, 27 April 2023.
Bell-James, Justine (2023). From protection to restoration of Australia’s coastal wetlands
. Frontiers in Environmental Law Colloquium, Sydney, NSW, Australia, 16-17 February 2023.
Bell-James, Justine (2022). Queensland’s Human Rights Act and climate change litigation. 35th LAWASIA Conference, Sydney, NSW Australia, 18-21 November 2022.
Bell-James, Justine (2022). Carbon abatement in marine areas: the potential of the Emissions Reduction Fund. Maritime Association of Australia and New Zealand Conference, Brisbane, QLD Australia, 12-14 October 2022.
Bell-James, Justine, Foster, Rose and Lovelock, Catherine E. (2022). Key priorities for integrating coastal wetland ecosystem services into law and policy – results of an empirical study in Australia. Australian Mangrove and Saltmarsh Network Conference, Ballina, NSW, Australia, 4-7 October 2022.
Bell-James, Justine (2022). Coastal wetland restoration in Australia and the need for holistic consideration of ecosystem services. IUCN Academy of Environmental Law Colloquium, Brisbane, QLD, Australia, 12-15 July 2022.
Bell-James, Justine (2019). Legal liability and climate change. EIANZ Climate Change Forum, Adelaide, SA, Australia, 6 November 2019.
Bell-James, Justine (2019). Reconverting ponded pastures to saline wetlands - a case example in rural land restoration. Ecological Restoration and Rural Landscapes in Australia, Brisbane, QLD, Australia, 18 November 2019.
Bell-James, Justine (2019). Integrating the ecosystem services paradigm into environmental law: a mechanism to protect wetlands?. AMSN 2019 Wetlands of the Future, Melbourne, VIC, Australia, 18-20 June 2019.
Bell-James, Justine (2019). Legal liability for decisions. Climate Resilient Queensland Executive Seminar, Brisbane, QLD, Australia, 25 September 2019.
Bell-James, Justine and Collins, Briana (2019). Queensland’s Human Rights Act: a new frontier for Australian climate change litigation?. Human Rights and Climate Change Conference, Brisbane, QLD, Australia, 11 October 2019.
Bell-James, Justine (2018). More than the sum of its parts: how can the law holistically recognise coastal ecosystem services?. Environmental Frontiers IV Colloquium, Hobart, 6-7 February 2018.
Bell-James, Justine (2018). Ecosystem based adaptation in coastal areas: lessons from selected case studies. Asia-Pacific Workshop on International Law, Climate Change, Oceans and Coasts, Hobart, 13-14 February 2018.
Bell, Justine (2016). Blue Carbon Within the International Climate Law Framework: Can Further Innovation in the UNFCCC Framework Protect Coastal Ecosystems. The Sixth International Four Societies Conference: International Law, Innovation and the Environment, Waterloo, Canada, 21-22 July 2016.
Research Reports
Justine Bell-James, Phillipa McCormack, Alexandra Wawryk and Nicole Shumway (2024). Identifying and overcoming barriers to marine and coastal habitat restoration and nature based solutions in Australia – Legislative permitting processes for restoration. Report to the National Environmental Science Program.. University of Tasmania: National Environmental Science Program..
Baker-Jones, Mark, Burton, Donovan, Bell, Justine and Chang Seng, Denis (2013). Climate change adaptation: guided by the law. A report on the Changing Winds: Climate Change & the Law workshops held in Suva, Fiji and Apia, Samoa, August 2013. Brisbane, QLD, Australia: DLA Piper.