Lawyers for Nature
 Lawyers for Nature      | |
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| Founder | • Brontie Ansell • Paul Powlesland |
Lawyers for Nature (LFN) is a Community Interest Company whose origins lie in the successful legal assistance given by co-founder, barrister Paul Powlesland, to a grassroots campaign to save thousands of street trees from being felled in Sheffield. LFN aims to democratise access to legal support for those seeking to defend the natural world.
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Own words
LFN’s members are a mix of law students, professionals and volunteers from a diverse range of backgrounds. We are united by our drive to create a more inclusive legal system, so that community action groups and environmental defenders can access the support they need to protect nature and their local environment. We do this through a mixture of education and awareness, while raising funds for specific local projects.[1]
Trees of Music
At Lawyers for Nature, our platform is typically focused on the legal aspects of protecting nature. Yet, we recognise the importance of culture in our work, and will always seek to raise the profile of any project that reflects our values as an organisation. Here's the latest musical developments at the wonderful Trees of Music, spearheaded by master bowmaker Marco Raposo and supported by RAIN (Regenerative Agroforestry Impact Network).
Trees of Music's activity aims to cultivate both sustainable wood use and a sustainable culture within the classical music community, while regenerating woodland and watersheds in the Atlantic Forest. In doing so, they bring together expertise that will help empower local farmers to replenish Pernambuco populations and ensure its survival for future generations.
The Pernambuco tree has been used to make violin, cello, and double bass bows for 250 years. However, due to unsustainable farming and deforestation, the species is now on the verge of extinction and the music we love is under threat. This unique species (brazil-wood) not only gave its name to Brazil, but the unique sound generated by a Pernambuco bow cannot be replicated by any other tree.
Trees of Music aims to reverse the damage wreaked on the forest by:
- Planting 50,000 Pernambuco trees
- Restoring 150 springs
- Training 70 farmers to plant and care for the trees
- Regenerating 30 hectares of the Atlantic Forest[2]
Saving oaks
On 22 December 2021, LFN tweeted:
A year on, we review the @SaveOaks #Campaign in @wildlondon_SHW, managed by @WildLondon in which we advised the #activist intervention, blocked an #injunction and won a #TPO to #defend a pair of veteran #oaks. Please read @paulpowlesland's #casestudy here.[3]
End of Year Review 2021
It's been a challenging year for many, not least for those increasingly affected by the climate crisis and of course, the devastating effects to nature we have seen around the UK and the world; from the biodiversity meltdown to the vast pollution of our environment. But at LFN, we are looking forward with optimism to 2022, the year in which our roots will continue to grow and the new shoots of ambition will begin to bear fruit. We will be producing more great content, launching our education and networking events and continuing our unshakeable commitment to representing the natural world and all who seek to defend it.
Thus far we've seen some excellent contributions, including four articles on the biggest global event to address the climate crisis, COP26:
- Report from COP26 in Glasgow, 2021: A Tale of Two COPs
- The Potential of the COP26 Declaration on Forests and Land Use as a Nature-Based Solution to the Climate Crisis
- COP26 and the Climate Crisis: Draft Agreement Avoids Tackling Critical Issues as World Leaders Continue to Pass the Buck
- COP26: US-China Joint Declaration Pledges Enhanced Cooperation to Tackle Climate Change
Whether it was the fractured experience resulting from predictably unilateral representation, the Declaration on Forests and Land Use seeking to “halt and reverse” deforestation by 2030, the equivocal language in use throughout the Draft Memorandum, or the US-China Joint Declaration, our writers have endeavoured to offer a unique and balanced insight into the most contemporary of happenings on the global stage. And with your feedback and support, we'll continue that mission in earnest.[4]
A document sourced from Lawyers for Nature
| Title | Type | Subject(s) | Publication date | Author(s) | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Document:Peaceful Eco-activism & Lawyers for Nature are Triumphant | Article | Save Cox's Walk Footbridge Oaks | 22 December 2021 | Paul Powlesland | "We went from trees potentially being unnecessarily felled to allow work to take place, to those trees being not only saved, but protected into the future. That could only be achieved by a combination of peaceful activism and the assistance of Lawyers for Nature. And now, those trees will hopefully far outlive us all, which is a very satisfying outcome indeed." |
