Moulika Arabhi on shaping India's environmental laws
Some of our deepest values take root in childhood. For me, it began in the lush green spaces of the Air Force Academy in Hyderabad, a peaceful space where native flowering trees thrive, and bird songs are more common than traffic noise. The constant presence of rich biodiversity instilled in me the value of coexisting with Nature and sparked a desire to conserve it from a young age.
Law wasn't an accidental choice. In the late 1990s, I pursued the five-year Integreated LLB (Hons.) from Andhra University, Visakhapatnam. Environmental law wasn't offered as a subject then. We only touched upon it briefly through laws like the Air Act and the Water Act. This early exposure sparked my interest and I found myself drawn to issues around natural resources, governance, and sustainability.
Inspiration
Reading Down to Earth magazine during my student years only deepened that curiosity and made me aware about environmental concerns. This led me to apply for an internship at the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) in Delhi. What began as a three-month internship turned into several transformative years, as I was introduced to the grassroots dimensions of environmental justice and met inspiring figures like Rajendra Singh, the 'Waterman of India'.
My early work in the development sector focused on human rights, gender, and natural resource management and gave me valuable field exposure and insights into how laws play out in real life. Soon, I began engaging with questions around sustainable development, governance, and how law could be used as a tool to promote environmental responsibility. This eventually led me to the field of environmental law, not just as an academic subject, but as a dynamic and evolving space where real impact was possible.
Connecting environment and law
I advise other organisations, develop curricula, teach at multiple institutions, and conduct training for forest officers, civil servants, and members of the judiciary. Through the Centre for Environmental Law (CEL), WWF-India, we've tried to strengthen environmental law education in the country. I've designed and launched several online courses such as the Post Graduate Diploma in Environmental Law and Policy, developed jointly with National Law University, Delhi, and the LL.M. in Environmental Law, Energy and Climate Change, in collaboration with O.P. Jindal Global University, which have opened new avenues for students to pursue specialised legal careers in environmental issues.
What makes this journey rewarding is the ability to work for the voiceless wildlife and ecosystems that cannot advocate for themselves. One of the most exhilarating cases I followed was the Nyamjang Chhu case in Arunachal Pradesh, where the return of the endangered Black-necked Crane to its threatened breeding ground, just in time for the final court hearing, led to the halting of a hydropower project. It was as though Nature itself had spoken!
I often say that environmental law is not something that can be practised in isolation. You need to bring in science, economics, politics, even ethics. One of the biggest challenges is how to communicate complex environmental issues to diverse stakeholders; from communities to corporations to judges. That's where law can act as a bridge.
To anyone considering a green career in law, I'd say: identify problems but focus equally on creating solutions. Use your skills to advocate, to innovate, and to act. Our generation has done its part but it's your voice that will shape the future. Be that voice for the voiceless.
The writer is Advisor at the Centre for Environmental Law (CEL), WWF-India, and Academic Advisor to WWF-India and National Law University Delhi's environmental law programmes.
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