Environmental Law Foundation
@elflaw.bsky.social
The Environmental Law Foundation is the national UK charity that helps people use the law to protect and improve their local environment and quality of life.
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💧 How can councils act for their rivers?
Our new Rights of Rivers guide offers step-by-step advice for councils and communities to do the same.
📘 Explore the guide:
👉 www.hoganlovellsbase.com/_uploads/dow...
#RightsofRivers #LocalCouncils #EnvironmentalJustice #NatureRights #Rivers
Our new Rights of Rivers guide offers step-by-step advice for councils and communities to do the same.
📘 Explore the guide:
👉 www.hoganlovellsbase.com/_uploads/dow...
#RightsofRivers #LocalCouncils #EnvironmentalJustice #NatureRights #Rivers
🌿 Join us on 11 December for Intervening for the Environment!
📅 Thursday 11 December 2025
📍 London + Online
🎟️ Register here: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/intervenin...
This is a space to learn, connect and empower the growing movement for environmental justice.
Let’s intervene where it matters. 🌍✨
📅 Thursday 11 December 2025
📍 London + Online
🎟️ Register here: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/intervenin...
This is a space to learn, connect and empower the growing movement for environmental justice.
Let’s intervene where it matters. 🌍✨
November 17, 2025 at 12:00 PM
🌿 Join us on 11 December for Intervening for the Environment!
📅 Thursday 11 December 2025
📍 London + Online
🎟️ Register here: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/intervenin...
This is a space to learn, connect and empower the growing movement for environmental justice.
Let’s intervene where it matters. 🌍✨
📅 Thursday 11 December 2025
📍 London + Online
🎟️ Register here: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/intervenin...
This is a space to learn, connect and empower the growing movement for environmental justice.
Let’s intervene where it matters. 🌍✨
🌊 Missed our Rights of Rivers webinar? Catch up now!
Our recent session with Matrix Chambers explored how local councils can take practical steps to support the Rights of Nature movement – with a special focus on rivers. 🌿
▶️ Watch now: vimeo.com/1134637522/a...
#RightsOfNature #RiverRights
Our recent session with Matrix Chambers explored how local councils can take practical steps to support the Rights of Nature movement – with a special focus on rivers. 🌿
▶️ Watch now: vimeo.com/1134637522/a...
#RightsOfNature #RiverRights
November 11, 2025 at 12:02 PM
🌊 Missed our Rights of Rivers webinar? Catch up now!
Our recent session with Matrix Chambers explored how local councils can take practical steps to support the Rights of Nature movement – with a special focus on rivers. 🌿
▶️ Watch now: vimeo.com/1134637522/a...
#RightsOfNature #RiverRights
Our recent session with Matrix Chambers explored how local councils can take practical steps to support the Rights of Nature movement – with a special focus on rivers. 🌿
▶️ Watch now: vimeo.com/1134637522/a...
#RightsOfNature #RiverRights
Helen Hamilton shares how she worked to overturn planning permission for a factory farm threatening ancient woodland in Wales — showing how pro bono action can hold decision-makers accountable and protect irreplaceable habitats.
💚 Join our pro bono network: elflaw.org/get-involved...
#ProBonoWeek
💚 Join our pro bono network: elflaw.org/get-involved...
#ProBonoWeek
November 7, 2025 at 12:03 PM
Helen Hamilton shares how she worked to overturn planning permission for a factory farm threatening ancient woodland in Wales — showing how pro bono action can hold decision-makers accountable and protect irreplaceable habitats.
💚 Join our pro bono network: elflaw.org/get-involved...
#ProBonoWeek
💚 Join our pro bono network: elflaw.org/get-involved...
#ProBonoWeek
Senior Associate Sabah Siddiq, from Lester Aldridge, worked with ELF and the Woodland Trust to overturn planning permission for a poultry farm expansion that threatened ancient woodland in Wales.
💚 Stand up for nature with your legal skills. Join the ELF pro-bono network: elflaw.org/get-involved...
💚 Stand up for nature with your legal skills. Join the ELF pro-bono network: elflaw.org/get-involved...
November 6, 2025 at 12:03 PM
Senior Associate Sabah Siddiq, from Lester Aldridge, worked with ELF and the Woodland Trust to overturn planning permission for a poultry farm expansion that threatened ancient woodland in Wales.
💚 Stand up for nature with your legal skills. Join the ELF pro-bono network: elflaw.org/get-involved...
💚 Stand up for nature with your legal skills. Join the ELF pro-bono network: elflaw.org/get-involved...
Environmental barrister Jessica Allen reflects on her work on the Brighton Marina case, to defend the Beachy Head West Marine Conservation Zone (MCZ) from harmful activities.
💚 Join our network of pro bono lawyers and make your skills count for the planet: elflaw.org/get-involved...
#ProBonoWeek
💚 Join our network of pro bono lawyers and make your skills count for the planet: elflaw.org/get-involved...
#ProBonoWeek
November 5, 2025 at 12:03 PM
Environmental barrister Jessica Allen reflects on her work on the Brighton Marina case, to defend the Beachy Head West Marine Conservation Zone (MCZ) from harmful activities.
💚 Join our network of pro bono lawyers and make your skills count for the planet: elflaw.org/get-involved...
#ProBonoWeek
💚 Join our network of pro bono lawyers and make your skills count for the planet: elflaw.org/get-involved...
#ProBonoWeek
Living beside the River Arun, Matthew Cripps witnessed wildlife disturbance caused by unregulated river use and worked with ELF and the University of Sussex Law Clinic to explore legal solutions and community protection tools.
💚 Join our pro-bono network:
elflaw.org/get-involved...
💚 Join our pro-bono network:
elflaw.org/get-involved...
November 4, 2025 at 12:02 PM
Living beside the River Arun, Matthew Cripps witnessed wildlife disturbance caused by unregulated river use and worked with ELF and the University of Sussex Law Clinic to explore legal solutions and community protection tools.
💚 Join our pro-bono network:
elflaw.org/get-involved...
💚 Join our pro-bono network:
elflaw.org/get-involved...
For Pro Bono Week 2025, we’re celebrating the inspiring people behind ELF’s network of environmental justice champions.
Dr. Joanna Smallwood supported a community working to protect the River Arun.
💚 Learn more about how you can volunteer your legal skills: elflaw.org/get-involved...
#ProBonoWeek
Dr. Joanna Smallwood supported a community working to protect the River Arun.
💚 Learn more about how you can volunteer your legal skills: elflaw.org/get-involved...
#ProBonoWeek
November 3, 2025 at 12:02 PM
For Pro Bono Week 2025, we’re celebrating the inspiring people behind ELF’s network of environmental justice champions.
Dr. Joanna Smallwood supported a community working to protect the River Arun.
💚 Learn more about how you can volunteer your legal skills: elflaw.org/get-involved...
#ProBonoWeek
Dr. Joanna Smallwood supported a community working to protect the River Arun.
💚 Learn more about how you can volunteer your legal skills: elflaw.org/get-involved...
#ProBonoWeek
💧 How can councils act for their rivers?
Our new Rights of Rivers guide offers step-by-step advice for councils and communities to do the same.
📘 Explore the guide:
👉 www.hoganlovellsbase.com/_uploads/dow...
#RightsofRivers #LocalCouncils #EnvironmentalJustice #NatureRights #Rivers
Our new Rights of Rivers guide offers step-by-step advice for councils and communities to do the same.
📘 Explore the guide:
👉 www.hoganlovellsbase.com/_uploads/dow...
#RightsofRivers #LocalCouncils #EnvironmentalJustice #NatureRights #Rivers
October 30, 2025 at 12:04 PM
💧 How can councils act for their rivers?
Our new Rights of Rivers guide offers step-by-step advice for councils and communities to do the same.
📘 Explore the guide:
👉 www.hoganlovellsbase.com/_uploads/dow...
#RightsofRivers #LocalCouncils #EnvironmentalJustice #NatureRights #Rivers
Our new Rights of Rivers guide offers step-by-step advice for councils and communities to do the same.
📘 Explore the guide:
👉 www.hoganlovellsbase.com/_uploads/dow...
#RightsofRivers #LocalCouncils #EnvironmentalJustice #NatureRights #Rivers
“What if we saw rivers as kin rather than possessions?”
Across the UK, communities are reframing their relationship with rivers — seeing them not as property, but as living systems with the right to flow, to regenerate, and to thrive.
📘 www.hoganlovellsbase.com/_uploads/dow...
#RightsofRivers
Across the UK, communities are reframing their relationship with rivers — seeing them not as property, but as living systems with the right to flow, to regenerate, and to thrive.
📘 www.hoganlovellsbase.com/_uploads/dow...
#RightsofRivers
www.hoganlovellsbase.com
October 29, 2025 at 12:03 PM
“What if we saw rivers as kin rather than possessions?”
Across the UK, communities are reframing their relationship with rivers — seeing them not as property, but as living systems with the right to flow, to regenerate, and to thrive.
📘 www.hoganlovellsbase.com/_uploads/dow...
#RightsofRivers
Across the UK, communities are reframing their relationship with rivers — seeing them not as property, but as living systems with the right to flow, to regenerate, and to thrive.
📘 www.hoganlovellsbase.com/_uploads/dow...
#RightsofRivers
2024 saw some of the lowest butterfly numbers since UK records began.
ELF has signed the Bristol Declaration to shape the Big Insect Rescue Plan — an evidence-based roadmap for recovery.
🌼 Add your voice today: butterfly-conservation.org/big-insect-r...
#BigInsectRescuePlan #BristolDeclaration
ELF has signed the Bristol Declaration to shape the Big Insect Rescue Plan — an evidence-based roadmap for recovery.
🌼 Add your voice today: butterfly-conservation.org/big-insect-r...
#BigInsectRescuePlan #BristolDeclaration
October 28, 2025 at 12:04 PM
2024 saw some of the lowest butterfly numbers since UK records began.
ELF has signed the Bristol Declaration to shape the Big Insect Rescue Plan — an evidence-based roadmap for recovery.
🌼 Add your voice today: butterfly-conservation.org/big-insect-r...
#BigInsectRescuePlan #BristolDeclaration
ELF has signed the Bristol Declaration to shape the Big Insect Rescue Plan — an evidence-based roadmap for recovery.
🌼 Add your voice today: butterfly-conservation.org/big-insect-r...
#BigInsectRescuePlan #BristolDeclaration
A huge thank you to everyone who joined us yesterday at the 'Symposium for the practical application of the River Ouse Charter' held at Marine Workshops, Newhaven.
We're extremely grateful to be work collaboratively and with shared responsibly to help our waterways to live, thrive and evolve.
We're extremely grateful to be work collaboratively and with shared responsibly to help our waterways to live, thrive and evolve.
October 24, 2025 at 11:51 AM
A huge thank you to everyone who joined us yesterday at the 'Symposium for the practical application of the River Ouse Charter' held at Marine Workshops, Newhaven.
We're extremely grateful to be work collaboratively and with shared responsibly to help our waterways to live, thrive and evolve.
We're extremely grateful to be work collaboratively and with shared responsibly to help our waterways to live, thrive and evolve.
Insects across the UK are in crisis — and the numbers are alarming.
Together, we can build the Big Insect Rescue Plan — informed by public voices, science, and community action.
👉 Have your say: butterfly-conservation.org/big-insect-r...
#BristolDeclaration #BigInsectRescuePlan #TogetherForInsects
Together, we can build the Big Insect Rescue Plan — informed by public voices, science, and community action.
👉 Have your say: butterfly-conservation.org/big-insect-r...
#BristolDeclaration #BigInsectRescuePlan #TogetherForInsects
October 21, 2025 at 11:01 AM
Insects across the UK are in crisis — and the numbers are alarming.
Together, we can build the Big Insect Rescue Plan — informed by public voices, science, and community action.
👉 Have your say: butterfly-conservation.org/big-insect-r...
#BristolDeclaration #BigInsectRescuePlan #TogetherForInsects
Together, we can build the Big Insect Rescue Plan — informed by public voices, science, and community action.
👉 Have your say: butterfly-conservation.org/big-insect-r...
#BristolDeclaration #BigInsectRescuePlan #TogetherForInsects
🌊 WEBINAR: Rights of Rivers – How Councils Can Take Action
Friday 7 November 2025 | 12:30–13:30 | Zoom
📅 Register now: us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
Friday 7 November 2025 | 12:30–13:30 | Zoom
📅 Register now: us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
October 2, 2025 at 9:16 AM
🌊 WEBINAR: Rights of Rivers – How Councils Can Take Action
Friday 7 November 2025 | 12:30–13:30 | Zoom
📅 Register now: us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
Friday 7 November 2025 | 12:30–13:30 | Zoom
📅 Register now: us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
🌊From Sussex to councils across England, river rights are no longer niche — they’re flowing into the mainstream. Just two years after Lewes District Council’s historic motion on the River Ouse, more than a dozen councils have followed, exploring charters, personhood and rights for their rivers.
From Sussex to beyond: How river rights are flowing into the mainstream - Environmental Law Foundation
by Emma Montlake, ELF Co-Director Is it just me or is everyone talking about River and Nature Rights? I certainly seem to be talking about it a lot, and every time I turn on the radio Robert MacFarl...
elflaw.org
September 29, 2025 at 1:31 PM
🌊From Sussex to councils across England, river rights are no longer niche — they’re flowing into the mainstream. Just two years after Lewes District Council’s historic motion on the River Ouse, more than a dozen councils have followed, exploring charters, personhood and rights for their rivers.
🌊Do rivers and whales really have rights?
ELF Co-Director Emma Montlake shares insights in this thought-provoking Financial Times, exploring what it truly means to give nature a voice in law.
Read more: www.ft.com/content/d8ed...
#RightsofNature #EnvironmentalJustice #RiverRights #LegalPersonhood
ELF Co-Director Emma Montlake shares insights in this thought-provoking Financial Times, exploring what it truly means to give nature a voice in law.
Read more: www.ft.com/content/d8ed...
#RightsofNature #EnvironmentalJustice #RiverRights #LegalPersonhood
Do rivers and whales have legal rights?
Campaigners for giving ‘legal personhood’ to the natural world sense they are winning the argument
www.ft.com
September 19, 2025 at 8:43 AM
🌊Do rivers and whales really have rights?
ELF Co-Director Emma Montlake shares insights in this thought-provoking Financial Times, exploring what it truly means to give nature a voice in law.
Read more: www.ft.com/content/d8ed...
#RightsofNature #EnvironmentalJustice #RiverRights #LegalPersonhood
ELF Co-Director Emma Montlake shares insights in this thought-provoking Financial Times, exploring what it truly means to give nature a voice in law.
Read more: www.ft.com/content/d8ed...
#RightsofNature #EnvironmentalJustice #RiverRights #LegalPersonhood
🌊 Does a river have rights?
From the River Ouse in Sussex to the Ganges in India and the Whanganui in New Zealand, a global movement is growing to recognise rivers as legal persons – with rights to flow, thrive, and be protected.
From the River Ouse in Sussex to the Ganges in India and the Whanganui in New Zealand, a global movement is growing to recognise rivers as legal persons – with rights to flow, thrive, and be protected.
September 19, 2025 at 8:38 AM
🌊 Does a river have rights?
From the River Ouse in Sussex to the Ganges in India and the Whanganui in New Zealand, a global movement is growing to recognise rivers as legal persons – with rights to flow, thrive, and be protected.
From the River Ouse in Sussex to the Ganges in India and the Whanganui in New Zealand, a global movement is growing to recognise rivers as legal persons – with rights to flow, thrive, and be protected.
🌿 Join ELF as our next CEO!
ELF is on a mission to ensure everyone has access to environmental justice — empowering communities, protecting nature, and driving real change.
ELF is on a mission to ensure everyone has access to environmental justice — empowering communities, protecting nature, and driving real change.
September 9, 2025 at 2:35 PM
🌿 Join ELF as our next CEO!
ELF is on a mission to ensure everyone has access to environmental justice — empowering communities, protecting nature, and driving real change.
ELF is on a mission to ensure everyone has access to environmental justice — empowering communities, protecting nature, and driving real change.
Victory for nature! 🌟 On 5 September 2025, the High Court overturned the planning approval for the Moylgrove Adventure Hub—declaring it unlawful due to serious environmental concerns.
elflaw.org/news/landmar...
elflaw.org/news/landmar...
Landmark High Court Victory Protects Ceibwr Bay and Its Wildlife - Environmental Law Foundation
On 5 September 2025, the High Court delivered a landmark judgment: planning permission for the proposed Moylgrove Adventure Hub—a development comprising coasteering, kayaking, and other outdoor activi...
elflaw.org
September 8, 2025 at 11:21 AM
Victory for nature! 🌟 On 5 September 2025, the High Court overturned the planning approval for the Moylgrove Adventure Hub—declaring it unlawful due to serious environmental concerns.
elflaw.org/news/landmar...
elflaw.org/news/landmar...
It is with deep respect and profound sadness that we share this unpublished letter from Rachel Youngman, CEO of the Environmental Law Foundation, written shortly before her untimely passing.
elflaw.org/news/a-messa...
elflaw.org/news/a-messa...
A Message in Memory of Rachel Youngman - Environmental Law Foundation
It is with deep respect and profound sadness that we share this unpublished letter from Rachel Youngman, CEO of the Environmental Law Foundation, written shortly before her untimely passing. In this d...
elflaw.org
July 28, 2025 at 7:10 AM
It is with deep respect and profound sadness that we share this unpublished letter from Rachel Youngman, CEO of the Environmental Law Foundation, written shortly before her untimely passing.
elflaw.org/news/a-messa...
elflaw.org/news/a-messa...
Environmental law in the age of climate chaos and biodiversity collapse
by ELF Co-director Emma Montlake
Read more:
www.climatechangebh.org.uk/perspectives...
by ELF Co-director Emma Montlake
Read more:
www.climatechangebh.org.uk/perspectives...
Opinion. Environmental law in the age of climate chaos and biodiversity collapse — Climate:Change
Environmental law in the age of climate chaos and biodiversity collapse Emma Montlake (This paper can be downloaded as a pdf here ). Key points We are living through a climat...
www.climatechangebh.org.uk
June 12, 2025 at 1:19 PM
Environmental law in the age of climate chaos and biodiversity collapse
by ELF Co-director Emma Montlake
Read more:
www.climatechangebh.org.uk/perspectives...
by ELF Co-director Emma Montlake
Read more:
www.climatechangebh.org.uk/perspectives...
ELF has worked with Emily Shirley of Thamesbank over decades. There is no one who knows more about campaigning for the River Thames and more generally, around river issues. We asked Emily to give us her reflections on the successful Court of Appeal, Pickering case.
Landmark Legal Victory for England’s Rivers: The Court of Appeal's Pickering Judgment - Environmental Law Foundation
ELF has worked with Emily Shirley of Thamesbank over decades. There is no one who knows more about campaigning for the River Thames and more generally, around river issues. We asked Emily to give us h...
elflaw.org
May 16, 2025 at 7:32 AM
ELF has worked with Emily Shirley of Thamesbank over decades. There is no one who knows more about campaigning for the River Thames and more generally, around river issues. We asked Emily to give us her reflections on the successful Court of Appeal, Pickering case.
🌼 Let it grow, let it grow!
This May, we’re giving the lawnmower a break and letting nature do its thing. By skipping mowing for just one month, we’re creating a safe haven for bees, butterflies, and other important pollinators. Every little flower helps!
#NoMowMay #BeeFriendly #WildYardWins
This May, we’re giving the lawnmower a break and letting nature do its thing. By skipping mowing for just one month, we’re creating a safe haven for bees, butterflies, and other important pollinators. Every little flower helps!
#NoMowMay #BeeFriendly #WildYardWins
May 12, 2025 at 9:53 AM
🌼 Let it grow, let it grow!
This May, we’re giving the lawnmower a break and letting nature do its thing. By skipping mowing for just one month, we’re creating a safe haven for bees, butterflies, and other important pollinators. Every little flower helps!
#NoMowMay #BeeFriendly #WildYardWins
This May, we’re giving the lawnmower a break and letting nature do its thing. By skipping mowing for just one month, we’re creating a safe haven for bees, butterflies, and other important pollinators. Every little flower helps!
#NoMowMay #BeeFriendly #WildYardWins
Happy Birthday, Sir David Attenborough!
Today, we celebrate not just the years of a remarkable life, but the profound impact you've had on our world.
Today, we celebrate not just the years of a remarkable life, but the profound impact you've had on our world.
May 8, 2025 at 11:33 AM
Happy Birthday, Sir David Attenborough!
Today, we celebrate not just the years of a remarkable life, but the profound impact you've had on our world.
Today, we celebrate not just the years of a remarkable life, but the profound impact you've had on our world.
🌊 “The Ouse has a voice—and we must listen.” 🌱
Emma Montlake, co-director of ELF writes about the rights of rivers.
Emma Montlake, co-director of ELF writes about the rights of rivers.
April 14, 2025 at 7:26 AM
🌊 “The Ouse has a voice—and we must listen.” 🌱
Emma Montlake, co-director of ELF writes about the rights of rivers.
Emma Montlake, co-director of ELF writes about the rights of rivers.
Our Spring newsletter went out today! You can read here: share.sender.net/campaigns/an...
Don't forget to subscribe to be the first to know about our updates!
Don't forget to subscribe to be the first to know about our updates!
March 26, 2025 at 12:56 PM
Our Spring newsletter went out today! You can read here: share.sender.net/campaigns/an...
Don't forget to subscribe to be the first to know about our updates!
Don't forget to subscribe to be the first to know about our updates!