Cormac Cullinan is a practising environmental attorney and author based in Cape Town, South Africa. He is a director of the leading South African environmental law firm, Cullinan & Associates Inc, and Chief Executive Officer of EnAct International, an environmental governance consultancy. A former anti-apartheid activist, and a London-based commercial lawyer, he has practised, taught and written about environmental law and policy since 1992, and has worked in more than 20 countries.
In the academic field he has lectured and written widely on governance issues related to human interactions with the environment and is notable for authoring a book, Wild Law, as well as several works commissioned and published by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. He is a graduate of the University of Natal and the University of London (Kings College) and is an honorary research associate of the University of Cape Town.
His work includes drafting: the Integrated Coastal Management Bill now before Parliament, the agreement between South Africa, Namibia and Angola that established the Benguela Current Commission; waste legislation for KwaZulu Natal and legislation for sustainable land use in the Western Cape.
In 2008 he was listed among the world's most extraordinary environmental champions in Planet Savers: 301 Extraordinary Environmentalists, which lists 301 people in history to be commended for their important role in saving and conserving the environment and promoting sustainable governance, including the likes of Buddha, St Francis of Assisi and Henry Thoreau.
In April 2008 Cullinan was nominated for the prestigious Men's Health Best Man in the Public Service Category. The Men's Health Best Man leadership programme is about recognising the top achievers around South Africa, recognising the men who've gone beyond everyday expectations in order to achieve greatness in their field of expertise.
South African newspaper, the Mail & Guardian, awarded a merit to Cullinan's company, EnAct International, in the Greening the Future 2008 Awards, in the category of companies with innovative environmental strategies that improve business performance, with special commendation to EnAct for its pioneering leadership and important battles won in changing mindsets both locally and globally.
Wild Law: A Manifesto for Earth Justice, first published by Siber Ink, Cape Town, South Africa, August 2002 ISBN 0-9584417-8-2; also by Green Books, Totnes, Devon, 2003 ISBN 1-9039998-35-2.
“Integrated Coastal Management Law” Establishing and strengthening National Legal Frameworks for Integrated Coastal Management, FAO Legislative Study No. 93, Rome, 2006.
Recent trends in monitoring, control and surveillance systems for capture fisheries, by P Flewelling; C Cullinan; RP Sautter and JE Reynolds. FAO Fisheries Technical Paper 415, Rome, FAO, 2002.
"Land Ownership and Foreigners: A Comparative Analysis of Regulatory Approaches to the Acquisition and Use of Land by Foreigners." FAO Legal Papers Online, 1999.
Author of legal section of Integrated coastal area management and agriculture, forestry and fisheries. FAO Guidelines (N Scialabba (ed.) Environment and Natural Resource Service, FAO, Rome. 256p.
Legal and institutional aspects of integrated coastal area management in national legislation. FAO Legislative study, 1994 (118 pages).
'If Nature Had Rights', Orion (magazine), USA, January 2008.
Simon Boyle, 'On thin ice', The Guardian newspaper, London, November 2006.
Stephen Harding, 'Earthly rights', The Guardian newspaper, London, April 2007.
Silver Donald Cameron, 'When does a tree have rights?', The Chronicle Herald (Halifax, Nova Scotia), January, 2007.
'SA lawyer an eco-warrior', News24, Southern African and African news website, February 2008.
Sue Segar, 'Planet Saver from PMB', article in The Witness (South African newspaper), April 2008.