Join Planet Pod host Amanda for a wide ranging discussion with guests Shehana Gomez, Emma Bean, Natasha Bradshaw, Colin Robertson and Rónán Kennedy in which we explore the tricky and sometimes controversial topic of earth’s jurisprudence – do mountains and rivers have rights? We discuss the Universal Declaration of Mother Earth and how it applies here in the UK and we ask: Is the law doing enough to protect and safeguard our rivers, our foreshore and our wild places? If not, what can and should we do?
LINKS:
UKELA Wild Law Special Interest Group
Universal Declaration on the Rights of Mother Earth
New Zealand Law: Te Awa Tupua (Whanganui River Claims Settlement) Act 2017
United Nations Harmony with Nature Programme
Geneva Forum on Rights of Nature
European Ecological Law and Governance Association (ELGA)
River Frome bye-law project – Publication: Perrin-Taillat, Michèle. 2017. Rights of nature and wild cities – river rights in Frome: a case study. In Environmental Law & Management Vol. 29. Issues 5-6, p. 236 – 239. See also this article.
Ben Nevis as legal person: Articles from UKELA, John Muir Trust and the Scotsman
Project for a European Citizen’s Initiative draft Directive on Rights of Nature
Our guests:
Shehana Gomez practised as a solicitor for about 10 years, first in immigration law in private practice and then in local government, specialising in children’s social care. She currently works as an associate lecturer at the Open University. She recently completed a LLM in Environmental Law and Sustainable Development and is co-convenor of UKELA’s wild law special interest group.
Rónán Kennedy researches and teaches environmental law, information technology law, and the intersections between these at the National University of Ireland Galway. He has a background in information technology and information systems. In 2016, he was appointed to the Advisory Committee of the Environmental Protection Agency on the nomination of the Irish Environmental Law Association.
Emma Bean is a former real estate solicitor now researching marine legal issues. Emma’s projects have included advising on the legality of regulating bait digging activity in the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park and an ongoing project advising Historic England on the protection of underwater cultural heritage assets. Emma is presently undertaking a PhD at the University of the West of England (Bristol, UK), researching the public right to fish and its impact on the management of fisheries.
Colin Robertson worked as lawyer in UK government and the EU Commission legal service, then as lawyer-linguist at the EU Council of Ministers. Retired now, he is active in Wild Law and Rights of Nature and an Expert with the UN Harmony with Nature Programme.
Natasha Bradshaw is researching for a Doctorate at the University of the West of England (Bristol, UK) on collaborative governance to support coastal stewardship. Prior to this she led the oceans governance programme and Celtic Seas Partnership for WWF-UK and spent ten years managing UK coastal & estuary partnerships in SW England.