Groundwork
Himalayan communities often need to travel long distances to meet lawyers and talk to the courts about their issues. They work hard to organize and collect information about the environmental impact of development while witnessing their homes get polluted and it's beauty compromised. A lot of this development happens fast and needs a robust response on site. We believe that there is an urgent need to go work with these communities, where they live, and hold development interests accountable in the field first.
Our team will work with your community to get the information you need, talk to authorities in time, and collect evidence critical to protecting the land where you live and work.
On site documentation of impact | Stakeholder Communication
Research
The Himalayas stretch across 2,400 kilometers, sustaining untold diversity of life and cultures. We spend time looking for what other mountain communities have done to address similar problems, across the world. We strongly believe that looking elsewhere around the country and across the world, can provide durable solutions, and build a much-needed environmental protection system that your community can fall back on, in the future. We design simple, succinct, interdisciplinary, and international research briefs and think about various strategies for you to choose from, to protect your lands.
Strategy briefs | Legal explainers | International Community-building | Sustained partnerships
Advisory
We understand there are times where communities agree on taking action but struggle with key questions particularly relevant to environmental issues: Are we too late to approach the authorities? What should we be doing now, to have a winning lawsuit four months on? Is there a law we haven't looked at that could solve the problem at hand? Can the District Magistrate do what we think only a court can? Are there examples from elsewhere on the globe that we could benefit from? We will listen to these concerns of yours, and use our legal experience and research skills to advise you on the most impactful legal course to take from beginning to the end.
Legal opinions | Consultations
Litigation
Whether it be before the Gram Panchayat, District Courts, High Court, or the Supreme Court, we will do whatever is required to help your community hold unsustainable development interests accountable under the law.
Full-spectrum environmental litigation
Oversight
Sometimes, communities might not want to take action just yet but be informed and prepared to take timely action. Huge hotels and hydroelectric projects often get environmental permits, without informing local communities comprehensively about the project. We strongly believe that prevention is better than cure, and in robust local systems of oversight, to identify threats to the environment well in advance.
Right to Information | Regional Oversight Cells