Introduction and Overview of the Practice Guide 

Large parts of the world, irrespective of their level of economic development, are on the cusp of severe environmental crises.

In these regions, the operations of extractive projects such as large-scale plantations, mining and industrial development have negated or worsened the economic, social and physical well-being of communities in their neighborhoods and beyond. Their robust national and regional laws and institutions for the protection and governance of the environment and natural resources have remained on paper and the non-compliance by governments and corporations has had profound effects on community livelihoods, health, access to land and quality of life.

Namati and CPR’s Practice Guide for Environmental Justice Paralegals is a step in the direction of closing this environmental enforcement gap.

The guide provides a methodology for community mobilizers, activists and citizens groups to shift their attention from stating the problem to getting grievances addressed by environmental institutions. The guide is based on four years of work done by the paralegals of CPR-Namati Environment Justice Program to assist affected communities file complaints and seek remedies in over 150 cases of non-compliance in India.

We hope that this guide will help local organizations and community groups to address environmental conflicts and seek useful remedies for affected people. 

For more CPR-Namati environmental justice paralegal tools, click here.

This resource is also available in French, Oriya, Hindi, Gujarati, Kannada, Swahili, and Bahasa Indonesian.