Rights of Nature

Abstract Rights of Nature (RoN) subsumes approaches encompassing the recognition of nature as a whole or individual ecosystems as bearers of rights and/or legal persons. Since the late 2000s, countries like Bolivia, Ecuador, and New Zealand have granted legal personhood to natural entities. Inspired by Indigenous perspectives, transnational RoN advocacy seeks a Universal Declaration of the Rights of Mother Earth and a transformation towards ecocentric politics. Research, art, and activism go hand in hand in RoN initiatives, most significantly in cases for the rights of rivers or other water bodies. On an international level, RoN are becoming more prominent in international arenas of climate and biodiversity governance, discussions about environmental crimes, and ecological justice. Underlying reflections about the ethical and political dimension of anthropocentric versus ecocentric law are already present in art expositions, legal campaigns, literature, and protest activities.