In 2023, a group of small communities in Ecuador ousted the world’s largest copper mining company from their community forest reserve, asserting that the company was violating the “rights of nature” enshrined in the Ecuadorian constitution. In recent years, countries like Ecuador, New Zealand, and India have passed rights-of-nature laws. This growing “rights of nature” movement protects the environment by legally acknowledging its inherent right to exist and thrive independent of human use. This represents a profound shift from existing environmental law that views nature as property that can be owned. In the U.S., Tribal nations are leading the way in incorporating the rights of nature into their governance structures. A newly published guidebook is the latest contribution to this effort. Published by the Native-led Bioneers Indigeneity Program, the Guide to Rights of Nature in Indian Country provides strategies and resources for Indigenous communities interested in enacting laws granting ecosystems, landscapes and species legal rights and personhood. “As a coalition of Native and Native-descended authors, we wrote this guide by and for American Indian/Alaska Native community members who are interested in learning about how the Rights of Nature can bring Tribal values into contemporary law,” the Bioneers Rights of Nature website states. “If you are interested in bringing this movement to your community, we would be happy to brainstorm with you.” Cover of Guide to Rights of Nature in Indian Country. Photograph by Cara Romero. Image courtesy of Bioneers Indigeneity Program. The 30-page guidebook presents real-world challenges and pathways for…This article was originally published on Mongabay
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