Our Work

Our Work

Natural Justice works on a variety of issues relating the conservation of biodiversity and the wellbeing of Indigenous peoples and local communities. We work on common property resources, community conservation, access and benefit sharing, biotrade, reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD), and farmers’ and livestock keepers’ rights. We also work across levels:

  • On legal empowerment with specific communities as well as within regional initiatives,
  • Providing advice to (sub-)national government agencies,
  • In partnership with others at multilateral environmental, intellectual property, and human rights processes to develop laws that support the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity in ways commensurate with the values of Indigenous peoples and local communities,
  • Providing technical advice to a range of organizations, and
  • Contributing to a campaign against biopiracy.

Working with communities informs our other areas of work, which in turn give us clear insights into contemporary legal developments and an understanding of how to support communities to better engage at the international and (sub-)national levels.

For more information about our most recent work, please download the chronological review of 2011.

Publications

Bio-cultural Community Protocols: A Community Approach to Ensuring the Integrity of Environmental Law and Policy (Natural Justice and UNEP, 2009)
Read More

Biocultural Community Protocols for Livestock Keepers (LIFE Network, LPP, and LPPS, 2010)
Read More

Endogenous Development Magazine, No. 6
Read More

Latest News
  • African Indigenous Peoples Declaration on Rio +20
    Via www.mpido.orgA gathering of indigenous African communities adopted the Declaration of Indigenous Peoples of Africa on Sustainable Development and Rio +20 in Arusha, Tanzania on 19 April 2012. The …

  • Seeking ICT Support: May-July, 2012
    Natural Justice is seeking a Cape Town-based service provider to support our organisation in maintaining, updating and occasionally developing further Natural Justice’s internet presence. Successful a …

  • New IUCN-CEESP Newsletter
    The International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s Commission on Environmental, Economic and Social Policy’s (IUCN-CEESP) latest newsletter was released in May. The newsletter reports on the act …

  • Community Meeting in Bwabata Park, Namibia
    Through its African Biocultural Community Protocol (BCP) Initiative, Natural Justice travelled to the Bwabwata National Park in West Kaprivi, Namibia during the week of 7th May to meet with residents. …

  • Wapichan Map 1.4 Million Hectares
    Photo from www.forestpeoples.orgIn a bid to protect over 1.4 million hectares of community land, the Wapichan community of Guyana have produced a digital map of their territories. The mapping project, …

Photos


Images from our work in Africa, Asia, and the Americas
View More