Brontie Ansell: Redefining Environmental Justice Through Law for Nature
Personal Background
Brontie Ansell is a British legal academic, solicitor, and environmental advocate whose work bridges the fields of law, ethics, and ecology. Trained as a lawyer in the UK, she transitioned from corporate law to public interest legal work, motivated by a deep sense of ecological responsibility and social justice.
Brontie is currently a lecturer in law at the University of Essex and is best known as the co-founder and director of Lawyers for Nature (LFN) — an organization that pushes the boundaries of environmental law to recognize nature not as property but as a rights-bearing entity.
Current Role
- Co-Founder & Director, Lawyers for Nature (UK)
- Legal Advocate for the Rights of Nature
- Public Educator on Ecocentric Legal Reform
Her mission aligns with SDG 15: Life on Land, by promoting legal mechanisms that protect ecosystems, biodiversity, and the integrity of the natural world.
Key Projects and Initiatives
1. Lawyers for Nature (LFN)
Established as a nonprofit legal advocacy collective, Lawyers for Nature supports grassroots environmental movements, ecological campaigns, and legal reforms rooted in nature-centric justice.
- Key Work Areas:
- Providing legal support to environmental defenders and activists
- Advancing the legal recognition of Rights of Nature (e.g., rivers, forests, ecosystems)
- Collaborating with landowners to establish nature-positive land governance
- SDG Impact:
- SDG 15 (Life on Land): Direct engagement in protecting forests, wetlands, and biodiversity
- SDG 16 (Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions): Promoting access to justice and rule of law in environmental contexts
- SDG 13 (Climate Action): Supporting legal initiatives for climate resilience
2. Rights of Nature Legal Campaigns
Brontie has been at the forefront of legal advocacy promoting the recognition of legal personhood for natural entities, a concept gaining global momentum.
- Examples:
- Support for campaigns advocating rights for rivers and protected areas in the UK
- Research and advocacy for integrating Earth Jurisprudence into legal education and policy
- SDG Significance: Encourages a systemic shift from extractive to regenerative legal frameworks in line with ecosystem protection.
3. Community Legal Empowerment & Land Access
LFN and Ansell have worked with Indigenous and local communities, especially in the UK, to reclaim agency in land stewardship, fostering an inclusive, decolonial approach to environmental law.
- SDG Links:
- SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities)
- SDG 11 (Sustainable Communities)
- SDG 15 (Restoration and protection of degraded ecosystems)
Benefits and Broader Impact
- Legal Innovation: Brontie’s work is changing how legal systems conceptualize the environment — shifting from property-based approaches to rights-based ones.
- Empowering Activists: By offering legal tools to grassroots environmental movements, her initiatives amplify civil society’s voice in defending the planet.
- Ecosystem Preservation: Her advocacy contributes to the long-term protection of forests, rivers, and biodiversity-rich habitats.
- Legal Education Reform: Through her academic work, she is training a new generation of lawyers to see the law as a tool for ecological regeneration, not just human governance.
Future Roadmap
Brontie Ansell envisions a legal system where the natural world is not protected merely for human benefit, but for its intrinsic right to exist and thrive. Her future priorities include:
- Scaling the Rights of Nature Movement across UK and European jurisdictions
- Embedding ecological ethics in national legal frameworks
- Building transdisciplinary alliances between scientists, indigenous knowledge holders, and legal professionals
- Advocating for stronger environmental clauses in constitutional and municipal laws
She also plans to expand Lawyers for Nature’s reach, helping local governments, NGOs, and landowners legally structure land and resource protection efforts through innovative legal instruments.
In Her Own Words
“The law must evolve to meet the needs of the planet. We can’t talk about justice without including the more-than-human world.” — Brontie Ansell
Brontie Ansell represents a new wave of legal changemakers who are not only defending life on land but are redefining the role of law in the 21st century. Her efforts offer a bold, hopeful, and systemic response to the biodiversity and ecological crises, making her a true SDG 15 Titan.