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ARTICLE · 06 DECEMBER 2024

The Growth Of Nature-related Litigation

Macfarlanes LLP
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Nature-related litigation is gaining momentum, holding businesses accountable for biodiversity loss and environmental harm. Claims focus on due diligence, shareholder actions, and anti-money laundering, urging firms to strengthen risk management and disclosure practices for sustainability compliance and competitive advantage.

United KingdomLitigation, Mediation & Arbitration
Chloe Edworthy
Chloe Edworthy
Rachel Richardson
Rachel Richardson
Riley Forson
Riley Forson
Madeleine Brown
Madeleine Brown

Businesses are aware that the climate impacts of their actions are increasingly attracting the attention of litigants, as we have written about.

A closely related subject that has perhaps received less attention in the legal press to date is litigation relating to impacts on nature and consequent loss of biodiversity. While there have been several well-known court challenges concerning plans for the net zero transition and extraction of fossil fuels, less attention has been focussed on claims regarding damage to the natural environment more broadly and the risks posed to ecosystems by loss of habitat and of species.

This lack of focus may not last much longer, particularly as leaders recently gathered for the Biodiversity COP16 in Colombia and are seeking greater legal recognition of, and rights for, nature. The World Wildlife Report 2024 found that over the last 50 years the average size of monitored wildlife populations has shrunk by 73%. A G7 report has found

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