Press release: 14 March 2024

ClientEarth receives £5 million Arcadia grant towards tackling global biodiversity challenges

ClientEarth, the non-profit lawyers for the planet, received a new, five-year award from Arcadia, a charitable foundation, to support its critical work using the power of the law to bring about systemic change and protect all life on Earth.

At the heart of ClientEarth’s work and its theory of change are legal systems and rule of law. It is one of the most effective levers for sustained environmental transformation - creating, strengthening, and enforcing the right rules to support a healthy planet where nature and people can thrive together.

The new £5 million grant from Arcadia will build on the successful relationship between the two organisations, which has enabled targeted interventions to defend terrestrial and ocean wildlife and habitats across Europe, such as the EU Nature Restoration Law which was recently adopted, requiring the EU's 27 member states to put in place measures to restore at least 20% of the bloc's land and seas by 2030.

Thanks to Arcadia’s support, ClientEarth has worked to safeguard wildlife, as well as preserving land and ocean habitats throughout Europe. This has included preventing logging in primary forests, halting the destruction of unique wetlands that serve as shelters for migratory birds, and implementing legal measures to enhance the health and free flow of rivers.

Arcadia’s support will also enable ClientEarth to progress its positive, coordinated legal action on a global scale, including plans to support governments, NGOs and local communities in additional regions, including Asia and Africa, to implement and utilise laws that will protect species and precious habitats.

Laura Clarke, CEO at ClientEarth said: “We are delighted to be continuing and expanding our partnership with Arcadia. The time to address the biodiversity crisis is now, and Arcadia’s increased support will enable us to deploy our legal tools beyond Europe, to help ensure that precious habitats and species are protected and restored globally.

The loss of nature and biodiversity is putting immense pressure on the delicate ecosystems that sustain all life on Earth, leaving people’s human rights at risk. It is today’s human economic systems, based on the exploitation of natural resources, that threaten these delicate ecosystems, leaving them hanging in the balance.

We are at a tipping point, and it’s a critical time for ClientEarth to use the power of the law to bring about the positive change we urgently need. What happens now will determine whether we hit, or miss, targets on climate and nature, health, and justice.

ENDS

Notes to editors:

Arcadia is a charitable foundation that works to protect nature, preserve cultural heritage and promote open access to knowledge. Since 2002 Arcadia has awarded more than $1.2 billion to organizations around the world.

About ClientEarth

ClientEarth is a non-profit organisation that uses the law to create systemic change that protects the Earth for – and with – its inhabitants. We are tackling climate change, protecting nature and stopping pollution, with partners and citizens around the globe. We hold industry and governments to account, and defend everyone’s right to a healthy world. From our offices in Europe, Asia and the USA we shape, implement and enforce the law, to build a future for our planet in which people and nature can thrive together.