One of the most biodiverse countries in the world, Uganda is globally recognised for its iconic wildlife and landscapes. However, like many other nations, it also suffers from widespread illegal wildlife trade, habitat destruction and pollution that threaten its biodiversity.

The team from Conservation-Litigation.org conducted an analysis of Uganda’s environmental liability legislation. It finds that, when the environment is harmed by any cause, there is a legal obligation to remedy it – and that the offenders responsible for the harm can be held accountable for taking actions such as habitat restoration.

People around the world value nature for diverse reasons - going far beyond the economic value we can derive from it, writes Conservation-Litigation co-founder Jacob Phelps. Amidst growing recognition of the importance of recognising diverse values for nature, we should also consider the role of courts.

To celebrate World Animal Day on October 4 this year, we caught up with Jenny Desmond, co-founder of Liberia Chimpanzee Rescue & Protection, about the role that wildlife rehabilitation centres play in wildlife crime cases, and how securing meaningful legal remedies for harm could not only improve the lives of rescued chimpanzees, but also protect the future of this incredible species.

As COP16 approaches, we are seeing growing understanding that combating emissions alone is not sufficient to prevent global ecosystem collapse and climate breakdown.

Our upcoming webinar on 15 October 2024 will explore:
- The risks of the climate-biodiversity disconnect in legal responses to environmental harm
- The opporunities to unify biodiversity and climate litigation strategies to protect nature.

Climate litigation globally has focused on pushing companies and public institutions to strengthen their efforts to cut greenhouse gas emissions. However, like the broader climate change mitigation movement, climate litigation risks decoupling itself from the rest of nature – notably the biodiversity that underpins all ecosystems.
Instead of viewing these as separate strands of litigation, future cases should consider whether to integrate climate and biodiversity to better reflect the realities on the ground.

Conservation-Litigation.org network representatives Dr. Jacob Phelps and Difa Shafira participated in an important knowledge-sharing event held by the MoFAI, the Model Forest Act Initiative, drawing on their expertise and legal analyses to highlight lessons to be considered in the future Model Legislation.

On 29 May, Conservation-Litigation, the IUCN World Commission on Environmental Law's Biodiversity Law Specialist Group and the Task Force on Rights of Nature hosted a webinar to explore the Rights of Nature - what they mean, how they relate to existing legal avenues, and how they can be operationalised to remedy harm to nature.

The international panel of experts and practitioners featured Blair Atwebemberire, Gerthie Mayo-Anda, Yaffa Epstein, Philippe Cullet and Maribel Rodriguez.

The third World Wildlife Crime Report, the UNODC’s global analysis of illegal wildlife trade trends, assesses current knowledge about the causes and implications of related wildlife crimes.
For the first time, the analysis specifically highlights the scale and diversity of harms caused by illegal wildlife trade crimes – not only to nature, but to human wellbeing, the economy and government agencies.

Conservation-Litigation.org is pleased to submit our comments on the draft ASEAN draft Declaration on Environmental Rights, as part of the public consultation.  In our submission, we address key considerations about what types of rights have a right to remedy, and who can take legal action.

In 2021, Conservation-Litigation.org co-founders Maribel and Jacob read a curious article in the New York Times by Rachel Nuwer: A massive seizure of illegal cacti had been poached from Chile's Atacama Desert, and smuggled to Italy for sale to fanatical gardeners around the world. This is what happened next...

That story led us down a wild path, and to court in a picturesque Italian seaside town…

The latest developments in the case of a momentous seizure of over 1,000 rare and protected Chilean cacti from a greenhouse in Senigallia, Italy.

Tomorrow, the Court of Ancona will hear the unusual case against two individuals who allegedly poached and smuggled some of the world’s most threatened cacti from Chile’s Atacama Desert. The plants were destined for sale to private ornamental collections around the world.

Conservation-Litigation.org publishes Risk Identification and Mitigation Framework for strategic environmental liability litigation.

The open-source resource will support prospective plaintiffs in the identification and mitigation of the risks that may be encountered when developing environmental liability lawsuits.

The Biodiversity & Environmental Liability Scholars Network is a new and exciting global interdisciplinary group of scholars that aims to bring together leading and emerging researchers to explore new legal solutions to environmental harm.

Led by Rika Fajrini, legal researcher at Conservation-Litigation.org and the Indonesian Center for Environmental Law, the inaugural meeting explored the participants’ various research interests on the topic of remedy-focused environmental liability .

The Wildlife Trust of India (WTI), part of the Conservation-Litigation.org network and a leading voice on wildlife and habitat conservation in the country, has held a pioneering workshop for Public Prosecutors in Kochi, Kerala. The workshop aimed to draw the attention of the Public Prosecutors appointed across the biodiversity-rich state of Kerala, in Southern India to specific provisions of the Code of Criminal Procedure that have the potential to revolutionise how criminal harm to wildlife is addressed.

Conservation-Litigation.org submits recommendations to the ICC Office of the Prosecutor in response to a new policy initiative to advance accountability for environmental crimes under the Rome Statute, “aiming to ensure that it takes a systematic approach to dealing with crimes within the Court’s jurisdiction committed by means of, or that result in, environmental damage.”

The world-leading, free online curriculum – developed by UNEP, IUCN’s World Commission on Environmental Law Conservation-Litigation.org and legal experts from across Asia-Pacific – draws on legal analyses and case studies from countries across the region region to further promote the protection of the environment and natural resources through improved implementation, adjudication and enforcement of environmental law.

Directed by Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Richie Mehta, the series dramatises the real-life case of WTI’s investigation and enforcement response into one of the most far-reaching wildlife crime cases in India.

In 2024 we will be bringing five precedent-setting lawsuits in countries around the world to demand justice and meaningful remedies for nature.
Here we look back at the work in the last year that has brought us to this point, and look ahead to the future as we continue to pursue our mission: to use law to defend and protect biodiversity.

ICEL – the Indonesian Center for Environmental Law, and a key member of the Conservation Litigation network - last month presented at a Forum to mark the launch of the report “Enhancing the Role of Environmental Public Interest Litigation to Advance Environmental Rights in Southeast Asia” published by EarthRights International with support from the UN Environment Programme on environmental litigation and rights in Southeast Asia.

Collaborative learning: The Indonesian Supreme Court meets with Lancaster University conservation and legal researchers to explore legal responses to environmental harm.