Foundations of Environmental Law for the Judiciary

About the course

This course offers judicial officers, legal practitioners, and justice sector professionals the opportunity to deepen their understanding of the principles, sources, and application of environmental law within an African and global context.

Drawing on international conventions, regional frameworks, and domestic legal components, it combines theoretical foundations with practical scenario-based learning to strengthen judicial reasoning in cases involving sustainability, human rights, and environmental governance.

Participants will explore the challenges environmental law seeks to address, analyse characteristic legal mechanisms, and develop tools to navigate complex issues like legal pluralism and enforcement in environmental disputes.

This course is designed for:

• Sitting judges and magistrates;
• Environmental lawyers and legal advisors;
• Government officials and policy analysts involved in environmental regulation;
• Legal researchers and academics specialising in environmental, administrative, or constitutional law.

Participants should have a foundational legal background.

What graduates say:

• "This course provided the comprehensive overview I needed to confidently handle complex environmental cases. The practical scenarios were particularly enlightening." 
• "The session on legal pluralism was a game-changer, providing crucial insights into reconciling statutory environmental law with customary practices in my jurisdiction." 
• "Professor Paterson's expertise made complex international frameworks accessible and directly relevant to our work as judges in African courts."

Course Convenor: Dr. Mathilda Twomey, Academic Director, JIFA. With contributions from specialists in environmental law, senior members of the African judiciary, academics from the University of Cape Town and other universities, and invited experts.

Course content:

• Expert-led lectures on the context, theory, and components of environmental law;
• Interactive plenary discussions on legal pluralism, human rights, and country-specific challenges;
• Documentary and case study analysis to illustrate the real-world intersection of environmental, social, and economic issues;
• Practical group scenario work to apply legal principles to realistic cases in marine and terrestrial environments;
• Group report-back sessions to consolidate learning and share diverse judicial perspectives.

By the end of this course, participants will be able to: 

• Articulate the core concepts of sustainable development and the philosophical underpinnings, sources, and principles of environmental law.
• Analyse the influence of key international and regional environmental instruments on domestic legal frameworks and judicial decision-making in Africa.
• Identify and apply characteristic components of domestic environmental laws, including planning, permitting, and compliance mechanisms.
• Evaluate the intersection of human rights and the environment, including procedural rights and the emerging concept of Rights of Nature.
• Develop reasoned approaches to practical environmental scenarios, identifying viable legal remedies and strategies to overcome procedural hurdles.

Certification

Upon successful completion, participants will receive a Certificate of Completion from the Judicial Institute for Africa (JIFA), Faculty of Law, University of Cape Town.

Course cost

Cost to be confirmed. Includes full access to course materials, discussion forums, and certification. Institutional and group enrolment options are available.

Registration

Register and enrol directly with the course provider. Once you have submitted the form, you will be contacted by the JIFA team to confirm the payment processing. Please note that registrations will not be considered complete until payment has been made. The course will only proceed once the minimum number of participants has been reached.

More information

Phone: (+27) 21 650 2098
Email: jifa@uct.ac.za

Foundations of Environmental Law for the Judiciary