At the occasion of the 2015 Annual Conference of the African Law Association, Germany, 6 and 7 November 2015, Prof. Ruppel delivers a paper on “Law for Development or Legal Transfer? Environmental Protection and Energy Security – Southern African Experiences”. This years conference was focussed on “Legal Transfer in Africa”.  Since its foundation in Heidelberg in 1973 the African Law Association has committed itself to the promotion of “African law”. The Association is a network of jurists from mostly Europe and Africa. Its understanding is based on an interdisciplinary approach that unites law with political, historical and African science as well as ethnology and expertise in development aid.