Legal Strategy

Co-Chair:  Rosie Sutherland (RSPB)

Co-Chair: Carol Day (RSPB)

Link: Niall Watson (Senior Policy Officer)

Update from the Group:

The Legal Strategy Group advocates for fit for purpose application of the UK’s obligations under the Aarhus Convention. The Convention establishes several important rights of the public (individuals and their associations) with regard to the environment, including the right to access justice and challenge public decisions on environmental law.

Working with FOE and the Environmental Rights Centre Scotland, Link helped secure 60 NGO sign-ons to a letter written to UK government ministers ahead of a major meeting of the Council of Europe, urging them to back proposals for an additional binding Protocol to the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) that would finally recognise the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment

Environment Links UK and the Environmental Rights Centre Scotland prepared a response to the UK's draft National Implementation Report for the Eighth Meeting of the Parties to the Aarhus Convention in 2025.  

The group is also working on proposals for an Environmental Rights Bill. The draft Bill can be found here. For more information, see blog outlining the call to action on environmental rights here. 

For further information, please contact Niall Watson, Link's Senior Policy Officer for the Legal Strategy Group: niall@wcl.org.uk 

Last updated: May 2025