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NATURAL JUSTICE is a not-for-profit legal organisation working with communities to achieve the three main objectives of the Convention on Biological Diversity, namely:
We take our name from the legal principle that people should be involved in decisions that affect them. Accordingly, we use our understanding of international and domestic laws to help communities assert their rights to control their natural resources and manage them according to their custumary laws. To do this, we work at two levels:
At the local level, we partner with indigenous peoples and local communities to assist them to understand the laws that regulate the most important aspects of their lives- their land, biodiversity and culture. Communities have a range of rights under international and national law, but often remain unaware of the specific provisions or how to access them. We provide communities with informationand training, and offer innovative legal solutions to ensure that they can exercise the full range of their rights over their collective biocultural heritage. From our work with communities we are continuously learning about the local challenges posed to communities by well-meaning international and domestic environmental regulations. That reflection leads us to develop critical legal thought based on communities' direct experiences. To ensure that laws are as closely attuned to local needs as possible, we provide legal and technical expertise to international negotiations under the Convention on Biological Diversity, as well as to other international and domestic initiaties that involve communities and natural resources. In doing so, we contribute to the development of a more just body of laws on the environment and culture. Natural Justice is based in South Africa. We currently focus on a biocultural approach to access and benefit sharing law, working with communities to develop community protocols as a tool and policy maker at the interface between customary law and environmental regulations.
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