natural justice

Lawyers for communities and the environment

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Overview

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NATURAL JUSTICE is a not-for-profit organization working with communities to develop their legal capacity to demand social and environmental justice. Our aims are in line with the three main objectives of the Convention on Biological Diversity, namely: dsc02980[2].jpg

  • the conservation of biological diversity,
  • the sustainable use of the environment, and
  • the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising out of the use of natural resources.
We take our name from the legal principle that people should be involved in decisions that affect them. Accordingly, we use our understanding of international and domestic laws to help communities assert their rights to control their natural resources and manage them according to their customary laws. To do this, we work at three levels:
  • with local communities,
  • at the national level to assist in the implementation of laws, and
  • at the international policy level.
Specifically, we partner with indigenous peoples and local communities to assist them to understand the laws that regulate the most important aspects of their lives – their land, biodiversity and culture. Communities have a range of rights under international and national law, but often remain unaware of the specific provisions or how to access them. We provide communities with information and training, and offer innovative legal solutions to ensure they can exercise the full range of their rights over their collective bio-cultural heritage. NATURAL JUSTICE is based in South Africa but also works with communities living in other African and Asian countries.

From our work with communities, we are continuously learning about the local challenges posed to communities by well-meaning international and domestic environmental regulations. That reflection on communities’ direct experiences leads us to develop critical legal thought about the substance of the law and its implementation. To ensure that laws are as closely attuned to local needs as possible, we provide legal and technical expertise to international negotiations under the Convention on Biological Diversity and to other international and domestic initiatives that involve communities and natural resources. In doing so, we are contributing to the development of a more just body of laws on the environment and culture.


For up-to-date information about our work, please visit our blog: http://natural-justice.blogspot.com/ and our Flickr photostream: http://www.flickr.com/photos/naturaljustice/sets/