Chris Packham launches Wild Justice for legal fight to protect wildlife

A new organisation has been launched to fight legal cases on behalf of wildlife against public bodies over failures to look after species or habitats.

TV naturalist Chris Packham has teamed up with campaigner Dr Mark Avery and researcher and campaigner Dr Ruth Tingay to launch Wild Justice, which will work with legal teams in England and Scotland.

The not-for-profit organisation plans to pursue legal action, funded by public donations and crowdfunding appeals, where it believes public bodies are failing to protect species or habitats.

Packham said the wild “needs justice more than ever before” with pressures put on nature having reached a crisis point.

“Our simple premise is to work with the laws we’ve got to seek real justice for our wildlife, to reform, refine or renew those laws we have to ensure that justice can be properly realised.

“Our wildlife has been abused, has been suffering, exploited or destroyed by criminals for too long. Well, no longer.

“Wild Justice will at last be the voice of those victims and it will be heard, and justice will be served.”

Dr Avery has said Wild Justice would take on public bodies to get a better deal for wildlife.

“It’s a shame that we have to do this but we have little confidence that statutory bodies are fulfilling their functions properly.

“We aim to hold their feet to the fire in court,” he said.

Dr Tingay, who has taken legal action against Scottish Natural Heritage over rook culling on a grouse moor, said: “Wild Justice provides an opportunity for ordinary citizens to fight back on behalf of wildlife, collectively helping us to challenge poor decisions or flawed policies that threaten to harm our wildlife.

“With so many potential cases, the difficulty for us will be to decide which ones to take on first.”