Environmental Law Toolkit

National Parks Journal

The Environmental Defender's Office (EDO) has produced a welcome update of the Environmental Law Toolkit - NSW: A community guide to environmental la w. The Toolkit covers in detail the areas of environmental law that are most useful to community campaigners in NSW including planning and development, pollution, natural resources, biodiversity conservation and heritage. While the legal review is comprehensive, it is written for practical use, unlike some environmental law publications that are mainly written for lawyers and leave the rest of us completely stumped.

Each chapter gives a plain English overview of an area of law and how it functions, drawing out many of the crucial issues in a question and answer format. Examples and case studies are used to illustrate how community campaigners can use the information presented, with the majority of examples drawn from the EDO 's experience representing the community in environmental disputes.

The Toolkit's final chapter is one you will not find in any other publication of environmental law in NSW: the how-to of environmental advocacy. This provides an invaluable guide on how to access government information, an overview of defamation laws, arrest protocols, how to write a submission, how to incorporate an environmental group and more.

This will be a useful addition to any campaigner's resources. Remember that laws will change following the publication date so do seek legal advice if considering commencing legal action or check out www,edo.org.au/edonsw for updates.

- Anne Harrison

Canberra Environment and Sustainability Resource Centre

Reviewed: August 2005

Community-based environmental management is an increasingly influential sector in environmental policy and management decision-making.  Increasingly, also, communities are required to be well informed and fully aware of all facets of the complexities surrounding environmental issues.  Now in its fifth edition, the Environmental Law Toolkit is a user-friendly guide through the legal minefield of the environment.  Although aimed at community groups, it is equally applicable for individuals or businesses that need to be across the vast range of issues, Acts and policy requirements that define environmental management.
 
This latest edition of the NSW Environmental Defender’s Office publication updates and improves upon the 2001 (fourth) edition.  The expanded table of contents gives a snapshot view of the book, and allows the sort of easy navigation we have become accustomed to with websites.  Each chapter covers of broad category of environmental law, divided into specific issues within the categories.  Chapter 4, for example, is “Natural resources”, which is then divided into sections on Mining, Forestry, Catchment management, Vegetation management, Water management, and Coastal management.  Chapter 7 covers Environmental advocacy, an area that is becoming more relevant to community groups as they use the law to achieve positive environmental ends.  The final chapter provides a thorough list of contacts and resources for anyone involved in community-based environmental management.
 
A useful inclusion in each section are legal case studies, outlining particular cases and their outcomes as signposts and indicators for community groups or individuals who may be involved in similar cases or action.  The EDO also offers a critique of specific cases and case studies.
  
This book would be a useful addition the shelf for any community environmental group, local government or environmental practitioner.  It is well set-out, logical, easy to read the information is fully accessible.

Highly recommended.