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The document outlines a comprehensive framework for CITES Management Authorities to verify the legal acquisition of fauna and flora. It details the preparation of national guidelines, the assessment of chain of custody documentation, and the application of risk-based verification techniques to prevent illegal wildlife trade.

The document serves as a technical guide for CITES Management Authorities to implement Legal Acquisition Findings (LAF). It details the process of verifying the 'chain of custody'—the chronological documentation of a specimen from extraction to export—to ensure compliance with national and international laws. The manual outlines steps for preparing national guidelines, evaluating legal frameworks, and applying risk-based assessment methods to determine if a specimen was acquired legally (positive LAF) or illegally (negative LAF). It provides specific documentation requirements for different taxa, including timber, marine species, and captive-bred animals, and emphasizes the importance of transparency and public accessibility of these guidelines to prevent fraud and illegal trade.

The document serves as a legislative annex, cataloging the federal laws, decrees, and normative instructions, as well as state-level regulations, that govern the Rural Environmental Registry (CAR) and the Environmental Regularization Program (PRA) in Brazil as of October 2021.

The 2021 snapshot of the Brazilian Forest Code implementation shows that while rural property registration (CAR) is well advanced nationwide, the subsequent analysis and validation stages remain significant bottlenecks. Only six states have fully operational Environmental Compliance Programs (PRA), and a group of states in the Northeast, Roraima, and Rio Grande do Sul continue to lag in legislation and implementation. Progress in 2021 included the incipient rollout of 'dynamic analysis' tools in five states and the regulation of the PRA in Amapá, Ceará, and Minas Gerais.

Earthjustice, a nonprofit public interest environmental law organization, reported total revenue of $135,320,966 and total expenses of $127,720,008 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2022. The organization focuses on protecting health, preserving ecosystems, and combating climate change through legal representation and public awareness. Its largest program service expenses were dedicated to providing free legal representation, totaling $71,294,848. Earthjustice maintains significant assets, with total assets reported at $276,651,694 and net assets of $245,809,918 at the end of the year. The organization also engages in international activities, including grants to entities in Sub-Saharan Africa and Australia.

The report finds a global increase in concern for nature loss, particularly in emerging markets, driven by digital activism and changing consumer habits. While public demand for sustainability is rising and influencing corporate behavior in sectors like fashion and cosmetics, a gap remains between public sentiment and effective government enforcement of environmental laws.

ClientEarth argues that the revised IPCEI Communication must align with the European Green Deal by mainstreaming climate protection and excluding fossil fuel projects. The organization recommends that eligibility for aid be contingent on strict environmental compliance, the 'Energy Efficiency First' principle, and the production of hydrogen exclusively from 100% renewable sources. Additionally, ClientEarth calls for increased transparency in the State aid process, including the publication of pre-notification files and the implementation of competitive tenders to select beneficiaries.

ClientEarth identifies key legal and policy goals for 2017, including ending fossil fuel subsidies in the EU, implementing a new Clean Air Act in the UK, and pricing climate risk into financial markets.

The Life After Coal campaign (LAC) has formally objected to Eskom's attempts to secure exemptions from the Minimum Emission Standards (MES), asserting that such exemptions are prohibited under section 59 of the Air Quality Act (AQA). The LAC argues that Eskom, as South Africa's largest air polluter, cannot be legally exempt from national emission standards, and that granting such exemptions would undermine the rule of law, harm public health, and set a dangerous precedent for future climate change legislation.

The document summarizes a ClientEarth conference session featuring experts who discussed the importance of strategic litigation, transparency, and the Aarhus Convention in achieving the green transition. Key discussions focused on the European Commission's proposal to revise the Aarhus Regulation, the limitations of the CJEU's Plauman judgment, and the tension between representative democracy and the long-term environmental goals pursued by NGOs.

The document outlines specific legal and systemic barriers to environmental justice in four European nations, highlighting issues such as restrictive standing for NGOs, lack of judicial specialization, and ineffective injunctive relief.

ClientEarth argues that while the EUTR and FLEGT Regulation have improved transparency in timber supply chains, significant gaps in enforcement, funding, and scope persist. The organization highlights a critical lack of staff and financial resources in EU Member States, uneven implementation that disrupts the market, and a low volume of compliance checks relative to the number of operators. It recommends expanding the EUTR's product scope, introducing stricter responsibilities for traders, and harmonizing penalties to ensure they are 'effective, proportionate and dissuasive'. Regarding FLEGT, ClientEarth notes its success in driving systemic law reform and civil society participation in producer countries but warns that the EU's reduced market weight and the technical complexity of Voluntary Partnership Agreements (VPAs) may hinder progress. Finally, it calls for new mandatory due diligence legislation to address forest conversion driven by commodities like soy, cocoa, palm oil, and beef.

The report examines youth climate advocacy in Africa, highlighting the role of civil society, government policies, and the challenges of the digital divide. It argues for a shift from tokenistic inclusion to meaningful participation, where youth are recognized as active agents of change in policymaking and implementation.

The report finds that the EU missed its 2020 deadline to end overfishing, with nearly half of the analyzed TACs for 2020 still exceeding scientific advice. It highlights a systemic failure to follow precautionary advice for data-limited stocks and a tendency to prioritize target stocks over bycatch stocks. The analysis identifies specific Member States—including France, Ireland, and Spain—as frequently pushing for unsustainable catch limits based on unsubstantiated socio-economic claims. The document also criticizes the lack of transparency in the TAC-setting process and the potential for misleading reporting by the European Commission.

The document describes a body of Polish case law focused on nature protection, developed under the LIFE15 GIE/PL/000758 project led by the Polish General Directorate for Environmental Protection. It aims to address the issue of law enforcement authorities failing to refer judgements to judicial authorities by increasing legal knowledge and improving cooperation between these bodies to better punish environmental crimes.

A letter from groundWork Trust confirming the appointment of the Centre for Environmental Rights (CER) as its attorneys of record to appeal a decision regarding ArcelorMittal’s Vanderbijlpark facility.

The document asserts that CAP National Strategic Plans fall under the scope of the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) Directive, meaning Member States must conduct scoping, public consultation, and reporting regardless of whether the specific CAP SP Regulation has been formally adopted. It provides a legal framework for environmental NGOs to demand meaningful participation, including early access to draft plans and environmental reports, and the requirement that stakeholder opinions be integrated or justified if rejected.

The report argues that the EU Commission should integrate climate and environmental protection objectives into its State aid decision-making process to ensure that national economic recovery programmes are consistent with the European Green Deal and the goal of climate neutrality by 2050.

The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER) submits that the draft Upstream Petroleum Resources Development Bill, 2019 is deficient in its approach to the climate crisis and community welfare. The CER argues that gas exploration and production pose severe risks to climate, air, water, and marine environments, and that the Bill's consultation processes are 'woefully inadequate'. Furthermore, the CER criticizes the lack of a robust Social and Labour Plan (SLP) framework to ensure benefits reach affected communities, noting that a proposed 20% state carried interest is an insufficient substitute for local development. The submission also calls for stronger administrative penalties to ensure corporate compliance with environmental laws.

The document examines the complex legal landscape of tree and forest ownership in Côte d'Ivoire, primarily focusing on the 2019 Forestry Code, the rural land law, and the Civil Code. It distinguishes between natural and planted vegetation and details how ownership is attributed to individuals, legal entities, and rural communities, while noting that ownership does not grant an automatic right to exploit timber without state authorization.