Restorative justice methods for dealing with conflicts related to environmental crimes

The chapter focuses on exploring restorative justice methods in conflicts related to environmental crimes. It assumes that we need a renewed conception of Humanism, which promotes the acknowledgment of an inalienable dignity to the environment, whose protection shall not be seen as simply instrumental to the life and the needs or the (supposed) wellbeing of the human being. In short: we need to shift from the old anthropocentrism to a relational and environmental anthropology. Restorative justice is not “the” solution but may support the perspective of environmental healing by enhancing awareness (through eco-literacy), responsibility (through storytelling and dialogue) and community representation (through appropriate engagements). Restorative justice, if properly adopted and implemented, can make people aware of victimisation, offer inclusive conflict handling methods, promote individual and corporate responsibility and encourage reparation, including and even more so when it operates in connection with the criminal justice system