Lawyers, conservationists, scientists and economists from around the world meet in Rydal, UK, to begin five precedent-setting cases and launch a green wave of biodiversity litigation seeking justice for nature

Around the world, nature and people already have considerable existing legal rights – but many of these are never put into practice. These “hidden” rights include the fundamental right to ask for remedies when the environment is harmed. We are pleased to share four new legal analyses that explain these rights to remedies – in Liberia, Thailand, Cameroon and Indonesia.

Georgia’s 2022 Environmental Liability Law, based on the “polluter pays” principle, presents new and important opportunities for biodiversity and habitat conservation. This report, in cooperation with FFI and Caissa Law, explores how it can be used.

Law firm, DLA Piper, highlights how “there’s an increasing risk that companies will face litigation on biodiversity issues.”

The Law Society UK’s new report explores legal action - including liability litigation - to hold corporates accountable for biodiversity loss.

We are thankful for new financial support from the ARCUS Foundation, a philanthropy focused on our shared commitment to the global human rights and conservation movements.

We are proud that Conservation Litigation has been selected as a 2022 Nominee for the EarthShot Prize, whose mission is to repair our planet by 2030. The Prize sets out to identify a diverse range of solutions from across the world. Later this year, 15 Finalists will be selected to catalyse impact around the world.

We are pleased to be presenting during This Netherlands Institute for the Study of Crime and Law Enforcement (NSCR) Lecture Series on Restorative Justice and Environmental Harms, 4 -31 May.

Rika Fajrini will be presenting our work at this upcoming workshop on 11 March, 2022. This global, online workshop will explore efforts to use liability litigation to address pressing issues of socio-biological harm, with examples from Indonesia, China, India, South Africa and Brazil, among others.

We recently joined Fauna & Flora International’s (FFI) Wildlife Crime Platform -Georgia . This group engages judges, prosecutors, and law enforcement bodies across Georgia, with the goal of building understanding and fostering collaboration to reduce wildlife crime. Participants of the previous meetings had expressed interest to learn more about restorative justice, and so we were pleased to be able to discuss conservation litigation strategies with them. Notably, Georgia has a brand new environmental liability law, so this was an exciting opportunity to discuss its implications for illegal wildlife trade.

Corporate law firm, Clyde & Co, warns its clients of the growing risk posed to them by conservation / biodiversity litigation. “Momentum is growing for future biodiversity litigation and corporations may begin to undertake a thorough review of their relationship with natural capital in anticipation of closer scrutiny in the future by not only the public, but also shareholders and other stakeholders, such as banks and insurers.”

Orangutan Outreach is a US-based NGO that does all it can to help protect Orangutans in the wild and in captivity. They are offering their support, helping to fundraise for future cases, recognising that conservation litigation has a role to play in protecting both Orangutans and their habitat.

The European Union has invited feedback on its Environmental Liability Directive, which establishes a framework based on the ‘polluter pays’ principle to prevent and remedy environmental damage. This evaluation will assess whether the Directive is fit for purpose and any shortcomings it may have. It will also reflect on calls from the European Parliament and the European Court of Auditors to strengthen its application. Conservation Litigation colleagues have made a submission highlighting key points we think need strengthening.

The Society for Conservation Biology picked conservation litigation for its “Emerging Issues in Conservation” Seminar. You can watch the talk online.

The series highlights speakers - picked by the Editors - whose papers are currently in press at Conservation Biology, Conservation Letters and Conservation Science and Practice.

Colleagues across 5 continents will explore how use liability laws to remedy harm to biodiversity. Hosted by the IUCN World Commission on Environmental Law, Environmental Law Institute & International Network for Environmental Compliance and Enforcement, this global webinar includes judges, practitioners and researchers to explore the scope and potential for conservation litigation.

Friday, 25 June, 2021, 16:00-18:00 CEST

Register: https://lnkd.in/eJBkv-9

New UN Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Resolution, “Preventing and combating crimes that affect the environment” calls for States to operatioanlise conservation litigation

In the absence of existing cases in most countries, we have little understanding of judicial decision-making in conservation litigation cases. To gain greater insight we used a mock trail approach. Dr. Rebecca Nichols explains the key findings.

Andalas University Law School hosts an international webinar on how civil liability litigation can support wildlife conservation.

The Indonesian NGO, Auriga Nusantara, helps launch the Indonesian language version of “Pioneering civil lawsuits for harm to threatened species”.

The Guardian reports on how illegal fishers poaching inside of France’s Calanques National Park, and the restaurants who bought their illegal fish, were sued in a landmark case that orders them to ‘pay for environmental damages’.