Defending our forests Tropical rainforest. An aerial view of the Cardamom Mountains rain forests, from the Cambodian parts. (Image by Andyb3947 - Stung Proat Cardamom Mountains.jpg / CC BY-SA 4.0)
Are Rights of Nature the answer to our ecological crises?
In 2020, felling of ancient woodlands had begun along the planned route of the UK’s new HS2 high-speed rail line. At Jones’ Hill Wood in Buckinghamshire – the literary inspiration for Roald Dahl’s classic children’s book Fantastic Mr Fox – felling was about to start.
That was until, in the face of sustained protest, legal challenges, and the discovery of a rare bat species, HS2 Ltd was legally obliged to put works on hold to conduct surveys and apply for bat licences.