Paul Powlesland
@paulpowlesland.bsky.social
Rights of nature & climate campaigner. Barrister & river guardian. Love trees & rivers; & working to defend, protect & restore them. Founder of @lawyersfornature.bsky.social & @riverroding.bsky.social
Pinned
Hello Bluesky, good to meet you all!
I am a magpie-like collector of interests, all united in some way by Nature.
Rights of Nature & climate activism; river guardianship; Right to Roam; boat life & restoration on the River Roding; planting, saving & admiring trees; nature adventures & pilgrimage
I am a magpie-like collector of interests, all united in some way by Nature.
Rights of Nature & climate activism; river guardianship; Right to Roam; boat life & restoration on the River Roding; planting, saving & admiring trees; nature adventures & pilgrimage
Swimmable rivers in London within a decade are possible with hard work, sufficient investment & imagination.
I’m really glad that the submission I made on behalf of the River Roding made it into the report, because the Roding has the potential to be one of the most swimmable rivers in London.
I’m really glad that the submission I made on behalf of the River Roding made it into the report, because the Roding has the potential to be one of the most swimmable rivers in London.
September 21, 2025 at 11:09 AM
Swimmable rivers in London within a decade are possible with hard work, sufficient investment & imagination.
I’m really glad that the submission I made on behalf of the River Roding made it into the report, because the Roding has the potential to be one of the most swimmable rivers in London.
I’m really glad that the submission I made on behalf of the River Roding made it into the report, because the Roding has the potential to be one of the most swimmable rivers in London.
I was on my boat late last night & thought I heard a scrabbling noise coming from outside. I saw movement out of the corner of my eye & looked up to see a fox had come through my open boat hatch & was climbing into my bed!
June 11, 2025 at 2:44 PM
I was on my boat late last night & thought I heard a scrabbling noise coming from outside. I saw movement out of the corner of my eye & looked up to see a fox had come through my open boat hatch & was climbing into my bed!
I was getting changed in my bedroom today & felt like I was being watched. I spun round to see this cheeky heron eyeing me up. There’s a better class of peeping tom out on the river!
June 10, 2025 at 10:19 PM
I was getting changed in my bedroom today & felt like I was being watched. I spun round to see this cheeky heron eyeing me up. There’s a better class of peeping tom out on the river!
A joyful experience of a victory rally, rather than a protest march today, as I joined access campaigners gathered under the imposing outline of Haytor on Dartmoor to celebrate the Supreme Court judgement upholding the only right to wild camp in England.
May 26, 2025 at 2:33 PM
A joyful experience of a victory rally, rather than a protest march today, as I joined access campaigners gathered under the imposing outline of Haytor on Dartmoor to celebrate the Supreme Court judgement upholding the only right to wild camp in England.
Today I joined Right to Roam and 400 people today in a mass swim trespass at Kinder Reservoir in the Peak District. The event was in commemoration of the anniversary of the Kinder Scout Mass Trespass, but with a very modern & pressing issue of access.
April 27, 2025 at 7:14 PM
Today I joined Right to Roam and 400 people today in a mass swim trespass at Kinder Reservoir in the Peak District. The event was in commemoration of the anniversary of the Kinder Scout Mass Trespass, but with a very modern & pressing issue of access.
My experiments in building with Nature continue with a ‘living desk’ where I can work from home overlooking the river
Legs of the desk are made from live coppiced willow that should spring to life & grow into 4 live willow trees around the desk creating a completely unique piece of living furniture
Legs of the desk are made from live coppiced willow that should spring to life & grow into 4 live willow trees around the desk creating a completely unique piece of living furniture
April 11, 2025 at 11:58 AM
My experiments in building with Nature continue with a ‘living desk’ where I can work from home overlooking the river
Legs of the desk are made from live coppiced willow that should spring to life & grow into 4 live willow trees around the desk creating a completely unique piece of living furniture
Legs of the desk are made from live coppiced willow that should spring to life & grow into 4 live willow trees around the desk creating a completely unique piece of living furniture
Hard to describe feeling of satisfaction of being a river guardian seeing a sand martin nesting hole you campaigned to be installed being used for 1st time
This morning I witnessed a sand martin couple moving into their new build, affordable nest in the heart of Barking, & I couldn’t be more proud!
This morning I witnessed a sand martin couple moving into their new build, affordable nest in the heart of Barking, & I couldn’t be more proud!
April 3, 2025 at 1:51 PM
Hard to describe feeling of satisfaction of being a river guardian seeing a sand martin nesting hole you campaigned to be installed being used for 1st time
This morning I witnessed a sand martin couple moving into their new build, affordable nest in the heart of Barking, & I couldn’t be more proud!
This morning I witnessed a sand martin couple moving into their new build, affordable nest in the heart of Barking, & I couldn’t be more proud!
Fantastic news: 4 years after I discovered one of the most damaging illegal sewage outlets on River Roding, Thames Water have finally, *finally* broken ground on the engineering project to fix it
This outfall is completely illegal, (with no permit), spilling due to a fault in the local sewer system
This outfall is completely illegal, (with no permit), spilling due to a fault in the local sewer system
March 31, 2025 at 8:33 AM
Fantastic news: 4 years after I discovered one of the most damaging illegal sewage outlets on River Roding, Thames Water have finally, *finally* broken ground on the engineering project to fix it
This outfall is completely illegal, (with no permit), spilling due to a fault in the local sewer system
This outfall is completely illegal, (with no permit), spilling due to a fault in the local sewer system
The headline figure of water companies discharging 4 million litres of sewage a year is bad enough but the real picture is much worse. These figures are only for known, permitted outfalls & across the country there’s thousands of unpermitted outfalls pouring unknown amounts of sewage into our rivers
March 27, 2025 at 9:37 PM
The headline figure of water companies discharging 4 million litres of sewage a year is bad enough but the real picture is much worse. These figures are only for known, permitted outfalls & across the country there’s thousands of unpermitted outfalls pouring unknown amounts of sewage into our rivers
Success!
The Police realised that the tree protectors were not backing down & it wouldn’t be a good look to arrest children & pensioners for sitting peacefully under a tree, so they have called off the felling today, & indeed the rest of the week!
The Police realised that the tree protectors were not backing down & it wouldn’t be a good look to arrest children & pensioners for sitting peacefully under a tree, so they have called off the felling today, & indeed the rest of the week!
March 26, 2025 at 12:09 PM
Success!
The Police realised that the tree protectors were not backing down & it wouldn’t be a good look to arrest children & pensioners for sitting peacefully under a tree, so they have called off the felling today, & indeed the rest of the week!
The Police realised that the tree protectors were not backing down & it wouldn’t be a good look to arrest children & pensioners for sitting peacefully under a tree, so they have called off the felling today, & indeed the rest of the week!
An early start in Falmouth this morning, as I joined dozens of local residents to support them in their battle to stop the destruction of their three beloved lime trees by the philistines at Cornwall County Council & their henchmen at Devon & Cornwall Police
March 26, 2025 at 9:14 AM
An early start in Falmouth this morning, as I joined dozens of local residents to support them in their battle to stop the destruction of their three beloved lime trees by the philistines at Cornwall County Council & their henchmen at Devon & Cornwall Police
Just seen a butterfly flying around my mooring. That doesn’t seem normal in early February, does it?
February 6, 2025 at 3:18 PM
Just seen a butterfly flying around my mooring. That doesn’t seem normal in early February, does it?
New Zealand continues to lead the way in Rights of Nature, with an act of parliament giving a third natural entity legal personality & a guardianship body to uphold its rights & look out for its interests.
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/j...
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/j...
February 3, 2025 at 6:47 PM
New Zealand continues to lead the way in Rights of Nature, with an act of parliament giving a third natural entity legal personality & a guardianship body to uphold its rights & look out for its interests.
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/j...
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/j...
I spent the weekend in an act of ‘wild service’ helping to restore nature & maybe healing some if the urban/rural divide, as part of a group of urbanites came together in the glorious welsh countryside to plant 100’s of metres of hedges & trees to connect up existing habitats (copses, ponds, scrub)
February 2, 2025 at 7:47 PM
I spent the weekend in an act of ‘wild service’ helping to restore nature & maybe healing some if the urban/rural divide, as part of a group of urbanites came together in the glorious welsh countryside to plant 100’s of metres of hedges & trees to connect up existing habitats (copses, ponds, scrub)
I travelled to Wivenhoe today to represent the King George Oak in a crunch meeting to save it from being destroyed by Aviva insurance.
Whilst I was, legally, instructed by the local tree protectors, in my heart the true client is the tree itself, so it was exciting to meet it the oak in person.
Whilst I was, legally, instructed by the local tree protectors, in my heart the true client is the tree itself, so it was exciting to meet it the oak in person.
January 24, 2025 at 11:12 PM
I travelled to Wivenhoe today to represent the King George Oak in a crunch meeting to save it from being destroyed by Aviva insurance.
Whilst I was, legally, instructed by the local tree protectors, in my heart the true client is the tree itself, so it was exciting to meet it the oak in person.
Whilst I was, legally, instructed by the local tree protectors, in my heart the true client is the tree itself, so it was exciting to meet it the oak in person.
I hope Keir Starmer is also backing these builders, rather than the blockers trying to stop them giving us flood-preventing, drought-reducing, biodiversity-increasing infrastructure *for free*?
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
January 23, 2025 at 1:49 PM
I hope Keir Starmer is also backing these builders, rather than the blockers trying to stop them giving us flood-preventing, drought-reducing, biodiversity-increasing infrastructure *for free*?
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
Interesting piece by Martha Gill on the disconnect between protections given to human-created culture, buildings, landscapes & historical sites & that afforded to Nature & our irreplaceable natural heritage
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Jane Austen’s plates or the woods near her home? I know which I’d rather save | Martha Gill
Why this hierarchy of heritage? Our obsession with buildings and artefacts is blinding us to the value of nature
www.theguardian.com
January 13, 2025 at 2:03 PM
Interesting piece by Martha Gill on the disconnect between protections given to human-created culture, buildings, landscapes & historical sites & that afforded to Nature & our irreplaceable natural heritage
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
I represented the River Roding at London Assembly Environment Committee’s hearing into the Mayor’s ‘Swimmable Rivers’ proposal.
The Roding has been rightly identified by the Mayor as a potential river for swimming. It lacks the dangerous currents & traffic of the Thames, but also has enough depth.
The Roding has been rightly identified by the Mayor as a potential river for swimming. It lacks the dangerous currents & traffic of the Thames, but also has enough depth.
January 10, 2025 at 10:51 AM
I represented the River Roding at London Assembly Environment Committee’s hearing into the Mayor’s ‘Swimmable Rivers’ proposal.
The Roding has been rightly identified by the Mayor as a potential river for swimming. It lacks the dangerous currents & traffic of the Thames, but also has enough depth.
The Roding has been rightly identified by the Mayor as a potential river for swimming. It lacks the dangerous currents & traffic of the Thames, but also has enough depth.
One of my favourite things about this time of year:
Working to restore the East London tidal marshes, amongst the frosty reeds, as the lower winter sun goes down in a blazing ball of red & gold, framed by the incongruous contrast of the soaring concrete overpass of the North Circular
Working to restore the East London tidal marshes, amongst the frosty reeds, as the lower winter sun goes down in a blazing ball of red & gold, framed by the incongruous contrast of the soaring concrete overpass of the North Circular
January 8, 2025 at 1:36 PM
One of my favourite things about this time of year:
Working to restore the East London tidal marshes, amongst the frosty reeds, as the lower winter sun goes down in a blazing ball of red & gold, framed by the incongruous contrast of the soaring concrete overpass of the North Circular
Working to restore the East London tidal marshes, amongst the frosty reeds, as the lower winter sun goes down in a blazing ball of red & gold, framed by the incongruous contrast of the soaring concrete overpass of the North Circular
“Get on my land!”
Excellent article about landowners who actively welcome visitors onto their land, with the understanding that the disconnection between people & Nature, & isolation of farmers & farming communities are problems which can have the same solution
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Excellent article about landowners who actively welcome visitors onto their land, with the understanding that the disconnection between people & Nature, & isolation of farmers & farming communities are problems which can have the same solution
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
‘Get on my land’: the farmers who want strangers wandering their fields
A growing number of landholders are joining forces with right-to-roam campaigners to boost public access to the countryside
www.theguardian.com
January 8, 2025 at 11:52 AM
“Get on my land!”
Excellent article about landowners who actively welcome visitors onto their land, with the understanding that the disconnection between people & Nature, & isolation of farmers & farming communities are problems which can have the same solution
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Excellent article about landowners who actively welcome visitors onto their land, with the understanding that the disconnection between people & Nature, & isolation of farmers & farming communities are problems which can have the same solution
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
This is good news for the Duchy’s human tenants. We now need to push to abolish feudalism for Nature on the Duchies, Crown, Church & State land, and give its natural ‘tenants’ substantive rights & guardians to uphold them
December 21, 2024 at 7:42 PM
This is good news for the Duchy’s human tenants. We now need to push to abolish feudalism for Nature on the Duchies, Crown, Church & State land, and give its natural ‘tenants’ substantive rights & guardians to uphold them
I went on BBC Radio 4’s ‘Rare Earth’ programme this week to talk about protecting & caring for our street trees
I discussed how threats to them could be reduced by giving trees rights & guardians so their interests can be given voice & represented in our legal system
www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...
I discussed how threats to them could be reduced by giving trees rights & guardians so their interests can be given voice & represented in our legal system
www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...
December 21, 2024 at 1:58 PM
I went on BBC Radio 4’s ‘Rare Earth’ programme this week to talk about protecting & caring for our street trees
I discussed how threats to them could be reduced by giving trees rights & guardians so their interests can be given voice & represented in our legal system
www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...
I discussed how threats to them could be reduced by giving trees rights & guardians so their interests can be given voice & represented in our legal system
www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...
I love transporting trees on public transport.
It’s good to move this fig to its new home without using a car & also lovely watching people’s intrigued & amused reactions to seeing something incongruously natural & alive in a public space normally denuded of nature.
It’s good to move this fig to its new home without using a car & also lovely watching people’s intrigued & amused reactions to seeing something incongruously natural & alive in a public space normally denuded of nature.
December 21, 2024 at 1:49 PM
I love transporting trees on public transport.
It’s good to move this fig to its new home without using a car & also lovely watching people’s intrigued & amused reactions to seeing something incongruously natural & alive in a public space normally denuded of nature.
It’s good to move this fig to its new home without using a car & also lovely watching people’s intrigued & amused reactions to seeing something incongruously natural & alive in a public space normally denuded of nature.
To have confirmation through this stunning photo that the lower River Roding around Wanstead, Ilford & Barking now has the most urban otters in London is such a treat.
This photo shows so clearly why we need to do everything in our power to protect & restore this sacred river.
This photo shows so clearly why we need to do everything in our power to protect & restore this sacred river.
Very pleased to have photographed an Otter today along the River Roding at Wanstead. Even just a few years ago I thought it wouldn’t be possible to witness this on a London river!
November 30, 2024 at 7:57 PM
To have confirmation through this stunning photo that the lower River Roding around Wanstead, Ilford & Barking now has the most urban otters in London is such a treat.
This photo shows so clearly why we need to do everything in our power to protect & restore this sacred river.
This photo shows so clearly why we need to do everything in our power to protect & restore this sacred river.
I think it’s grimly telling of many things in our society that, from being the greatest port in the world, the last working wharf in the City of London at Walbrook is used to transport tens of thousands of tonnes of rubbish annually down river to be incinerated.
November 28, 2024 at 12:54 PM
I think it’s grimly telling of many things in our society that, from being the greatest port in the world, the last working wharf in the City of London at Walbrook is used to transport tens of thousands of tonnes of rubbish annually down river to be incinerated.