ABSTRACT
Legal and regulatory systems have developed over the past two centuries to manage the effects of human activity on the natural environment. Initially, the object of these systems was to safeguard and improve public health, but the focus has increasingly turned to the preservation of the environment per se. Whilst the law still aims to protect public health, it also aims to protect the health of ‘the environment’, including flora, fauna and ecosystems. The development of fundamental principles to achieve those aims is slightly outside the scope of this chapter, but the principles themselves will be explained.
