Lawyers for Nature

Lawyers for Nature are excited to be attending the 16th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP 16) in the city of Cali in Colombia between 21 October–1 November 2024. We will be represented by Jérémie Gilbert and Paul Powlesland. Our aim in attending the conference is to highlight the importance of following the promises made at COP 15 and the implementation of the GBF promoting harmonious relationships with the natural world by notably promoting rights of nature approaches to protect and restore biodiversity. Crucially, the slogan of COP 16 is “Peace with Nature.” This comes on the back of the statement by the UN Secretariat General highlighting that “Humanity is waging war on nature.” As such COP 16 offers a unique opportunity to advocate for a more harmonious relationship with Nature. It is crucial that the focus is not purely on promoting and developing private/corporate-led initiatives to create a global biodiversity market. The potential of supporting initiatives promoting and based on respecting Nature’s intrinsic values, such as the emerging initiatives protecting the Rights of Nature should be at the heart of this journey, and not in a footnote of the targets being promoted to support biodiversity. We have also been working closely with our friends at the Earth Law Center to produce a white paper, 'Ecocentrism in the Global Biodiversity Framework'. It is a joint report with Rights of Mother Earth, End Ecocide Sweden and Keystone Species Alliance on Biodiversity Credits and how states can implement and fund rights-based initiatives and Mother Earth centric actions to better meet the goals of the GBF. You can find our full COP16 position paper and the joint report here: https://lnkd.in/d4dZsbSb #COP16 #biodiversitycredits

COP16 - the UN biodiversity conference starts this weekend. The largest global gathering of people all working hard to protect and restore nature. Those from the commercial world - business and finance - will be critical participants as they will be providing much of the US$200bn per year which the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (agreed at COP15) called for. But it's wrong to think of the relationship between nature and business as being purely financial - paying reparations for habitat destruction. Business and nature need to find a new relationship. In the penultimate interview in our series of business and nature discussions, I speak with Brontie Maria Ansell, co-founder of Lawyers for Nature about how nature can be woven into corporate governance and can take part in board meetings. We talk about: 🌳 Understanding the guardianship model 💧 The role and impact of nature in corporate governance 🐞 Alternative models for incorporating nature 🐛 Nature as a shareholder 🌱 Starting small and building momentum Previous interviews with Samuel Sinclair, Emma Toovey, James Burton, Josephine Bush, CFA ESG, FRGS are on the Gowling WLG website. All thanks to Annabelle Percy and Gayle Biddle for their help in putting together this excellent series. #ESG #Nature #Biodiversity #COP16 https://lnkd.in/g2RVxyMt

In July, we committed to bringing Nature onto FutureEverything’s Board, aligning with the Rights of Nature movement. As a cultural organisation, we are well positioned to explore what it means to give Nature a voice, and our focus on investigating the societal impacts of technology gives us a unique perspective. A goal is to assess the ecological dimensions of technology and experiment with new approaches to frame its development To guide us through the process of putting Nature on the Board we've formed a diverse Working Group, including experts in environmental justice, technology, Indigenous knowledge, art and law. Members include Ariel Clark; Dr. Adi Kunstmann; Brontie Maria Ansell; Prof. Danielle Celermajer; Harun Morrison; Jessica El Mal; Kalpana Arias; Michelle Strauss; Simeon Rose, Anne Hopkins; Sria Chatterjee (Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art); Victoria Sword-Daniels, PhD; Paola Ricaurte-Quijano; Paul Powlesland. This autumn, we are collaborating with the group to research, define, and explore tools, settings and protocols for our initial model. Key discussions will address consent, ethics, modalities of listening (or attending to Nature), localised definitions of Nature, and our responsibility to critically evaluate technology’s role. By early 2025, with support from Lawyers for Nature, we will design a legal and practical framework to bring Nature onto the Board. We aim to implement this model by late Spring 2025, recognizing it as an evolving process. The model will grow through ongoing research, creative experimentation, and collaboration with artists and interdisciplinary partners. Learn more about Nature on the Board by visiting our website > https://lnkd.in/gx_dcnAQ Image credit: The Whanganui River New Zealand, the first river in the world to be granted the same legal rights as a human being.

Our first Nature for Lawyers event is coming up next week. Here are some more details on our line up. Brontie Maria Ansell and Paul Powlesland (co-founders of Lawyers for Nature) will introduce you to Lawyers for Nature. Dr Juliet Rose, Head of Development at The Eden Project has a background in Plant Science, Horticulture and Strategic Environmental Management Planning for Degraded Land. Her talk will focus on nature and biodiversity for the future.   Our keynote speaker for the evening is Paddy Loughman. Paddy works independently on various efforts to face and encourage change. He is a co-founder of Stories For Life and the Reset Narratives Community, he spent two years with the UNFCCC High Level Champions for Climate Action (for COP26). He is currently exploring how communication, collective healing and imagination can help us awaken to what science and wisdom traditions reveal about the nature of reality, and the potential of a more viable and beautiful world. David Hunter, Senior Counsel at Bates Wells, and author of The Uncertain Solicitor blog will be talking about how you can incorporate nature-centric work into your practice. Tickets available here: https://lnkd.in/d5-Q6-4K

We are delighted that the Earth Funding Lab is gaining momentum! The Lab is a space to help funders connect and develop collaborative funding strategies to help shift economies to be in service to life. The intention of the Lab is also to offer continuous learning and knowledge-sharing around new funding models and alternative approaches to supporting systemic change. 💫 In this spirit, we are excited to offer two (free!) online sessions in October open to all interested funders. 💫 The topic of these sessions is Nature on the Board of Foundations. These 1-hour sessions are a first exploration into how foundations and philanthropic organisations might bring Nature on the Board. 🌱 On 1st October (12:00-13:00 BST), we will be joined by Alexandra Pimor 🌻🌍 from the Earth Law Center. Alexandra is one of the key people behind ELC’s ‘Onboarding Nature Toolkit’ as well as a new programme, the Dandelion Fellowship, to support those who want to become a nature proxy for the Nature on the Board movement. ➡️ Register here: https://lnkd.in/egCYCT33 🌱 On 24th October (11:30-12:30 BST), we will be joined by Brontie Maria Ansell of Lawyers for Nature. Brontie and Lawyers for Nature are at the forefront of Nature on the Board work in the UK and beyond and have worked very closely with organisations such as Faith in Nature in establishing Nature on the Board of organisations. ➡️ Register here: https://lnkd.in/eh8Kuxbs We're excited to be creating spaces where funders can connect and collaborate. Please do join us for either or both of these sessions, and spread the word! 📣 #philanthropy #nature #funding Environmental Funders Network The Bio-Leadership Project

There are still a limited number of tickets available for our very first 'Nature for Lawyers' event, happening in just under two weeks! Don't miss out - buy yours using this link: https://lnkd.in/d5-Q6-4K

Our first 'Nature for Lawyers' event is fast approaching - tickets still available at the link below!

We are thrilled to announce that Brontie Maria Ansell, Director at Lawyers for Nature, has been chosen by Vogue Business as one of their 2024 “100 Innovators: Sustainability thought leaders”. "This year’s sustainability innovators are the ones challenging the status quo, championing voices throughout the supply chain and working tirelessly to encourage the industry and the environment to coexist — and to uplift people within the ecosystem rather than leave some behind. Above all, these are the people offering hope, optimism and inspiration in an industry that has plenty of work to do." #VB100  https://lnkd.in/gBtqa5eM

Last week, LFN founder Paul Powlesland was called to serve on a jury. For his oath, he decided to swear on what was most sacred to him: nature, via his local River Roding, represented in the courtroom by a water sample in a small bottle. Paul tweeted about it, thinking it might get some online appreciation -- but it ended up getting a lot more media interest than he anticipated! You can read more here: https://lnkd.in/d-MRB5AZ

Are you a lawyer concerned about the state of nature and the meta-crisis we face? Are you interested in using the law as a powerful tool to protect and restore nature? Do you want to understand how you can use your skill set to make a difference? We welcome you to join us for our first ‘Nature for Lawyers’ event, where we will spend an evening learning about how law might look in a more nature-centric society. There will be time in our beautiful community setting to make connections with other like-minded lawyers who are interested in being part of a movement that supports a thriving planet, not just for humans, but for all who coexist alongside us. At Lawyers for Nature we hope to reimagine and regenerate the law for nature and we would love to share our practice with you so that you can incorporate this into your own work. Come and join us to help to protect and restore nature for future generations. When? Monday 23rd September 2024, 6:00 - 9:00 PM Where? The Phoenix Garden, WC2H 8DG Tickets available at the link below. Brontie Maria Ansell Paul Powlesland #LawyersforNature #NatureforLawyers https://lnkd.in/d5-Q6-4K