Description

The Rights of Nature (RoN) and related policy are important policy ideas looking to offer a different perspective on the relationship between humans and the natural environment. Our current legal theories center people whereby people have dominion to own, use, and degrade land and resources. In contrast, RoN centers the environment in thinking about law and policy, advocating for a worldview and legal practice that recognizes the environment and people as fundamentally and inherently interconnected. Some have called the Rights of Nature a “rights revolution for nature” and laws recognizing the Rights of Nature have been adopted in at least 8 countries and in several subnational areas.
Indigenous peoples have been part of the RoN work and GARN recognizes that Indigenous self-governance adds nuance to broader RoN conversations. This grant will continue to spark new conversations and ideas around the RoN, specifically related to Indigenous peoples and Indigenous self-determination.