The Hearing – A Legal Podcast EP. 178 – Paul Powlesland (Lawyers for Nature)
Aug 4, 2025
34:58
What if rivers, forests, and even individual trees had their own legal rights? In this thought-provoking episode, host Becky Annison speaks with Paul Powlesland – barrister, founder of Lawyers for Nature, and leading advocate for the legal rights of nature – about a revolutionary movement transforming our relationship with the natural world.
Paul explains how the "rights of nature" movement goes beyond passing new laws, aiming to fundamentally reshape how we view and protect the environment. Drawing on global examples and his own front-line experiences, Paul shows how granting legal rights to nature is already making a real difference. He also shares how lawyers from any field, not just environmental specialists, can become "guardians of nature", and why rights on paper must be matched by real enforcement. Paul makes the case for legal personhood for rivers, forests, and landscapes to empower communities and hold polluters accountable.
If you have ever wondered how legal innovation could help solve environmental crises – or how ordinary people can help protect nature – this episode is for you. Discover how every saved tree and every legal victory is building a movement to redefine the 21st century. Tune in for a fascinating conversation that will inspire you to see both law and nature in a new light.
Paul explains how the "rights of nature" movement goes beyond passing new laws, aiming to fundamentally reshape how we view and protect the environment. Drawing on global examples and his own front-line experiences, Paul shows how granting legal rights to nature is already making a real difference. He also shares how lawyers from any field, not just environmental specialists, can become "guardians of nature", and why rights on paper must be matched by real enforcement. Paul makes the case for legal personhood for rivers, forests, and landscapes to empower communities and hold polluters accountable.
If you have ever wondered how legal innovation could help solve environmental crises – or how ordinary people can help protect nature – this episode is for you. Discover how every saved tree and every legal victory is building a movement to redefine the 21st century. Tune in for a fascinating conversation that will inspire you to see both law and nature in a new light.