Legal geography, estuarine landscapes and the Anthropocene

Buffery, Caroline A. (2025) Legal geography, estuarine landscapes and the Anthropocene. Journal of Property, Planning and Environmental Law. ISSN 2514-9407

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Abstract

Purpose This paper aims to examine how law, shaped by historical and cultural contexts, impacts particular landscapes and explores the use of landscape concepts within the discipline of legal geography. Design/methodology/approach This paper proposes a “sequent legal occupance” approach as a framework to historically analyse how legal interventions have influenced the formation of contemporary landscapes. The analysis of the legal, cultural and environmental dimensions of landscapes are explored in relation to three UK estuaries. Findings By examining the “impress” left by law over time on tidal estuaries, sequent legal occupance highlights some of the ways in which law shapes past, present and future landscapes. A legal geography of landscapes can provide a more holistic understanding of the relationship between law and the environment and can uncover the layering of legal practices and the dynamic interplay between legal and spatial processes to challenge the anthropocentric bias inherent in traditional legal frameworks. Research limitations/implications This research offers an opportunity to explore the disciplinary concepts of landscape within legal geography scholarship and as such is a working method for further investigations. Originality/value This paper provides a framework for understanding the historical and ongoing influence of law on estuarine landscapes. A key issue is the tension between private property rights and the need to manage and protect estuarine ecosystems. The originality of this paper lies in the examination of cross disciplinary concepts of landscape to offer new perspectives for legal geographical scholarship to address the Anthropocene using both spatial and temporal analysis.

Item Type:	Article
Additional Information:	'This author accepted manuscript is deposited under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC) licence. This means that anyone may distribute, adapt, and build upon the work for non-commercial purposes, subject to full attribution. If you wish to use this manuscript for commercial purposes, please contact permissions@emerald.com.'. https://www.emeraldgrouppublishing.com/publish-with-us/author-policies/our-open-research-policies#green
Keywords:	Legal history, Estuaries, Landscapes, Legal geography, Sequent occupance, Water law
Divisions:	Land and Property Management
Depositing User:	Dr Caroline Buffery
Date Deposited:	03 Nov 2025 14:22
Last Modified:	03 Nov 2025 14:22
URI:	https://rau.repository.guildhe.ac.uk/id/eprint/16975

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