Legal Strategy Working Group

Chair: Matt Shardlow, Buglife
Acting Vice Chair: Carol Day, WWF-UK
Secretary: Julie Middleton

Activities that impact on wildlife and people’s access to the countryside are all regulated to a greater or lesser extent by law.  The Legal Strategy Group brings together the legal minds from the WCL member organisations to support the WCL working groups in achieving their objectives.  In addition the Legal Strategy Group aims to improve the legal framework for wildlife, to monitor enforcement and consider overarching justice issues as they relate to the objectives of WCL members.

Update from the group: April 2012

Wildlife and Countryside Act adjustment

This month Link submitted a response to the Defra pre-consultation on amendments to the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (amended) Regulations (2004) relating to possession of wild bird eggs. The response had sign on from seven organisations and supports the RSPB’s response showing strong support for maintaining the WCA amendment as it currently reads. Defra plans to undertake a full public consultation after acquiring stakeholder views.  

Law Commission review

Last month Link attended the Law Commission’s Wildlife Management Project Advisory Group meeting to discuss the Commission’s review of wildlife legislation.The Commission expects to publish its consultation document, leading to a three-month consultation period, at the end of July 2012. It will report to Defra – which commissioned the review – in February 2013 with a draft Bill being published in March 2014.