The ubiquity of mobile devices, and other information gathering technology, has impacted our lives in many ways, both good and bad. However, the ability to record video, audio, and take photos on a variety of omniscient tools has created an unintended positive consequence when it comes to protecting our world’s natural resources. In today’s world anyone, anywhere can document social and environmental change. This increase in documentation has the potential to dramatically alter who and how environmental enforcement occurs. The democratization of environmental enforcement allows last mile communities to share not only their stories, but document their experiences and provide evidence in a manner that does not jeopardize their personal security, and improves the ability of partners and governments to work to protect their lands, livelihoods, and cultures through improved enforcement in the legal sense, through increased supply chain transparency, and through the “court of public opinion.”

Enforcers, prosecutors, and judges play a pivotal role in ensuring environmental justice benefits all of the world’s people, including those in last mile communities. Many environmental cases are brought against large corporations or other actors who have vast, if not limitless, resources to defend their actions no matter how indefensible those actions may be. Additionally, many environmental laws are complex, involve transboundary issues, and require specific knowledge and expertise to most effectively prosecute and adjudicate them. Last Mile Justice works with its partners to bring resource and information to advance the skills of enforcement and judicial system stakeholders to ensure those who suffer environmental injustices are afforded a fair and safe trial.

South-south exchanges have been demonstrated to be the most effective, powerful knowledge sharing opportunities. Many local environmental practitioners, community leaders, storytellers, citizen enforcers, evidence bearers, and other stakeholders are focused on their day to day activities with little time to access peer knowledge, share aligned experiences, and learn about ways to grow their impact. Last Mile Justice works with its partners to facilitate south-south exchanges to share knowledge and grow impact.