Paul Powlesland

Paul Powlesland is a barrister and founder of Lawyers for Nature. An organisation that seeks to represent the natural world and all those who seek to defend it in the courts. Its mission is campaigning for the legal rights of nature. Paul specialises in upholding the rights of environmental activists to protest and protect the natural world. He also uses environmental law and regulations to defend trees, rivers and wildlife.

He has lived on a boat for 10 years and five years ago he moved to the River Roding in East London on his boat Thieving Magpie. Since then he convened a community of boaters to protect and restore the river. This led to the founding of the River Roding Trust, and a community of 10 boaters and thousands of people along the Roding dedicated to looking after it. This community has planted hundreds of trees, removed thousands of tonnes of rubbish, opened paths and helped stop major sewage and pollution incidents.

Paul regularly gives talks and workshops on the rights of nature. As well as the relationship between the law and the natural world and what we should do in a time of climate and ecological emergency. As a boat dweller for many years, he is also determined to protect the rights of boaters and other Traveller groups.

Join his Earthed course on River Restoration to learn more.