If nature has rights, who has the legitimate right to defend them?

24 Mar 2019

Photo credit: Cacao in Peru. CIFOR/ Marlon del Aguila Guerrero

The question of who speaks for nature’s rights should be resolved to avoid further marginalizing the already disenfranchised when nature is protected, writes Arpitha Kodiveri in Open Global Rights.  Otherwise, the already marginalized stand to be further disenfranchised.

The rights of nature will be expressed or articulated in the legal system by humans, she writes, querying whether this stewardship model is the right one, and if so, who is a legitimate steward? Many communities share diverse relationships with nature, she adds.

“Through the articulation of the rights of nature, it is important to incorporate an inclusive model where all these relationships find expression. This will democratize the meaning of the rights of nature instead of having it applied in ways that limit diversity.”

Read the full blog on Open Global Rights by clicking here.

Learn more about these topics at GLF Bonn 2019, 22-23 June. Click here for more information.

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