Defend the Environment held a Workshop on 15th May 2021 concerning “The Role of Indigenous Knowledge and Public Interest Litigation for the Environment, Biodiversity and Natural Resources Conservation –– Why We Defend the Environment?”
The workshop aimed at promoting environmental protection via indigenous knowledge and public interest litigation with invited guests. The participants of the workshop include lawyers, professionals of the judicial system, and officials from Environmental Protection Authorities (EPA), environmental activists, religious leaders, and community leaders. The venue was Best Western Plus International Hotel, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
In this workshop, experts and renowned scholars including religious scholars presented capacity-building trainings on various topics by. On the topic “Why does the Environment Deserve Protection: Philosophical, Ethical and Legal Consideration,” Dr. Mellese Damtie (Associate Professor of Law, AAU) introduced the necessities of environmental protection from philosophical, ethical, and legal perspectives. The participants also underlined that environmental protection is not a choice but a necessity.
The second topic of discussion in the workshop was “Practical and Legal Challenges on Environmental Public Litigation.” A scholarly presentation was delivered by Dr. Mellese Damtie (Associate Professor of Law) explaining and exemplifying the practical issues of environmental public litigation in the country. The participants of the capacity building workshop forwarded insightful views and suggestions for the way forward in ensuring the effectiveness of environmental public interest litigation.
Another scholarly presentation and expertise observation focused on “Defending the Environment for the Viable Future” by Dr. Fassil Yeneneh (Associate Professor of Law). In this presentation and discussion with participants, environmental advocacy is considered to have a big role in ensuring a clean and healthy environment for the current and future generations.
The last topics of discussions and areas of scholarly presentations focused on the religious perspectives of environmental protection from Islamic and Christianity religions. The topic “Environment in Islamic Perspectives: What does Islam teach about Environment?” Oustaz Musa Sheko explained how Islamic teachings consider environmental matters. Likewise, the topic “Environment in Christian Perspectives: What does Christianity teach about Environment?” Memihir Girma Batu, (PhD Candidate) Memihir at Holy Trinity Theological University, gave insights to the participants on how the teachings of Christianity recognize environmental protection concerns.
The participants duly recognized the importance of such capacity-building training and discussion platforms in supporting environmental protection endeavor.
