Wildlife

Overview

Our barristers regularly act for regulators, environmental charities, individuals and interest groups with a stake in the protection and regulation of wild and game animals. In addition to the higher court cases listed below, members of all seniorities advise and act on licensing and regulatory matters including appeals under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and prosecutions or enforcements.

Recent court highlights include:

• R (Mott) v Environment Agency [2018] 1 WLR 1022 - Supreme Court case concerning the imposition of conditions on licences for salmon fishing in the Severn Estuary
• Wild Justice v Natural Resources Wales [2021] Env. L.R. 24 – challenge to decision of NRW to grant a general licence for the control of specified species of pest birds
• R. (McMorn) v Natural England [2016] P.T.S.R. 750 – challenge to Natural England’s undisclosed policy in respect of licence application to control pest raptors
• R. (RSPB) v Natural England [2022] Env. L.R. 15 – challenge to grant of a licence to take and disturb hen harriers in Northern England as part of a research project
• R. (Langton) v Secretary of State [2020] Env. L.R. 1 – challenge to SSEFRA’s grant of badger control licences for the purpose of disease control
• Natural England v Warren [2020] P.T.S.R. 565 – Upper Tribunal appeal against a stop notice requiring a game bird shoot to cease releasing partridges within 500m of a SSSI.
• Re No Gas Caverns Ltd's Application for Judicial Review [2023] – challenge to gas storage caverns licensing alleging adverse effects on marine life