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Earth Law Monthly Update
April 2023

This month, we highlight a bold new Rights of Nature initiative in Aruba, ELC's trip to the United Nations, the rights of sharks and native bees, and efforts to protect environmental defenders in Latin America. Also stay tuned for a big announcement about Earth Law education next week! Finally, thank you to everyone who donated on Earth Day. It's not too late to support our work to give Nature and future generations a voice and rights. Consider a donation today!

-Earth Law Center Team

EARTH LAW MOVEMENT BUILDING

Aruba Initiates Constitutional Process towards Rights of Nature

Aruba has initiated the process to add the Rights of Nature into its constitution, taking a bold step towards living in harmony with Nature. This initiative is being led by Minister Ursell Arrends of the Ministry of Transport, Integrity, Nature and Senior Affairs.

To celebrate the occasion, various local and international stakeholders came together at the Aruba Earth Day Forum to discuss the importance of the Rights of Nature. Some of the experts in attendance included the Global Alliance for the Rights of Nature, Earth Law Center, The Leatherback Project, and the Directorate of Nature and the Environment.

"I want to thank all those who have worked tirelessly to protect our environment," said Mr. Ursell Arends, Minister of Nature in Aruba. "Together, we can restore the balance between people and nature, and taking care of what belongs to us. We are not giving any rights to nature. Nature has rights. This is a first step toward acknowledging that.”

The draft law to introduce Rights of Nature Aruba’s constitution was submitted to the Legislative Department on the eve of Earth Day. We look forward to supporting the Ministry and sharing more updates in the coming months!

Dialogue on Harmony with Nature Held at the United Nations

Earth Law Center's Claudia Brindis and colleagues were amongst the participants in the 12th Interactive Dialogue of the General Assembly on Harmony with Nature to Commemorate International Mother Earth Day. This year's dialogue once again highlighted Earth-centered laws and movements from across the globe. It also built support towards a possible high-level meeting on April 22, 2024, tentatively called the "Earth Assembly." Read the full concept note here.

In her remarks, Claudia highlighted advancements towards the Rights of Nature and ecocentrism in Mexico and beyond on behalf of the ELC team and our partners. Here is an excerpt of her speech (translated):

In Mexico, we have been joining the Rights of Nature movement for ten years to give voice to Nature, its species, and its ecosystems. In 2022, we held an Assembly for Mother Earth in the Congress of Mexico City and the Mother Earth Summit Mexico City, where we included academics, the scientific community, legislators, civil society organizations, businessmen, and representatives of Indigenous peoples and communities.

[...]

If we say we love our Mother Earth, we have to act, enforce laws, and put an end to economic growth and development that's at the expense of the well-being of communities and the health of ecosystems and species. And if we want to guarantee human rights to a healthy environment and to water, we have to guarantee the Rights of Nature, the Rights of Rivers and other Water Sources, the Rights of Oceans, the Rights of Animals and Species, and the Rights of Forests and Jungles. 

You can watch Claudia speak here.

EARTH LAW ADVOCACY

Workshop to Protect Nigeria's River Ethiope

On April 3, a coalition of community leaders, politicians, academics, private actors, and media held a workshop on protecting the River Ethiope, including through recognition of its rights. The River Ethiope is located in Nigeria's Delta State. It is a sacred water that is born from a natural spring beneath an cotton tree.

Mr. Dafe Irikefe, President and Founder of RETFON and the Africa Lead at Earth Law Center, spoke of how as a child, he remembers the river being healthy, a source of community nourishment. Now, the river is degraded, including due to unsustainable mining, logging, and waste disposal. But it can be restored.

The high point of the workshop was a visit to the source of the River Ethiope at Umuaja. Participants toured the area and viewed restoration projects currently underway. 

Opening remarks were delivered by Professor Sunny Egboh, professor emeritus from Delta State University Abraka, Nigeria. A keynote address was performed by the special guest of honor, His Royal Majesty AVM Lucky O. Ararile (RTD) the Ovie of Umuaghwa-Abraka Kingdom, ably represented by Chief Dr. E.E Okonoko. Many others spoke and contributed to the event.

EARTH LAW CONFERENCE

Advancing the Rights of Indigenous Women, Environmental Defenders, and Nature Itself in the Escazú Agreement

ELC's Javier Ruiz traveled to Argentina to attend the Escazú Agreement's second "Conference of the Parties" (COP2), where ELC co-organized a side event on April 21 with partner Defensa Ambiental. The side event was entitled "Escazú Agreement and Its Implementation from a Gender and Interculturality Perspective: Necessary Actions to Eliminate Barriers for Indigenous Women in Peru and Chile to Exercise Access Rights." Javier also participated as a member of the Mexican Delegation.

The Escazú Agreement is a regional treaty for Latin America and the Caribbean that guarantees the public’s right to access environmental information, participate in environmental decision-making, and seek justice in environmental matters. ELC's side event urged decision-makers to eliminate barriers preventing Indigenous women and environmental defenders from accessing justice to defend their rights, lands, and territories.

ELC's Javier Ruiz also continued to advance the Rights of Nature and ecocentrism within the treaty. We will support Bolivia's proposal to include ecocentric language in the Agreement's working documents.

Watch Javier's presentation here and the conference here.

EARTH LAW ACADEMIA

New Publication on Rights of Nature and Sharks

The journal Sustainability published a new paper authored by ELC's Rachel Bustamante in the special issue Sustainable Shark Conservation: Latest Advances and Prospects. The paper, entitled “Beyond Protection: Recognizing Nature’s Rights to Conserve Sharks,” blends conservation science with legal and policy analysis to assess the primary threats to global shark populations. The paper also explores innovative approaches to conservation building upon the philosophy of Earth Law, including the Rights of Nature legal framework.

Globally, sharks are highly threatened by climate change and habitat degradation, with overfishing, targeted fishing, and bycatch being the most critical threats to their survival. As a keystone species and apex predator, sharks play a crucial role in maintaining a healthy Ocean. Using a case study of Panama’s national Rights of Nature law, this paper seeks to answer how we may progress beyond the protection of sharks to ensure restoration, preventive management, and the reimagining of a more harmonious relationship between humans, sharks, and the Ocean.

The open-access paper is available here: https://doi.org/10.3390/su15097056 

INTERNATIONAL EARTH LAW

Support the Universal Declaration of the Rights of Mother Earth

Consider joining the 278,267 supporters (and counting!) calling for global adoption of a  Universal Declaration of the Rights of Mother Earth! Individuals and organizations can sign. Here is a direct link: www.thepetitionsite.com/826/567/703. 

As stated by the petition,

We, civil society organizations worldwide have voiced the need for humankind to recognize the fundamental rights of the natural world and have called on the Governments and peoples of the world to adopt and implement a "Universal Declaration of the Rights of Mother Earth".

This petition is being led by Rights of Mother Earth with the Global Alliance for Rights of Nature and in partnership with Care2. By signing, you can show your support for the global movement to give Nature rights and a voice in the legal system. Rights of Nature is recognized at some level of government in over 30 countries—including national recognition in four countries, most recently Panama. The petition has a goal of one million signatures.

EARTH LAW CAMPAIGN

New Campaign to Protect Endemic Bees in the Peruvian Amazon

On April 5, ELC's Constanza Prieto met with scientists Rosa Vasquez Espinoza and Cesar Delgado Vasquez, along with Peruvian representatives of the Vice Ministry of Strategic Development of Natural Resources, to develop a project to recognize native bees as a subject of rights. The project aims to connect the protection of native bees with efforts to safeguard the Amazon and Indigenous knowledge through the Rights of Nature. In the Amazon, stingless bees are capable of making honey used for both food and medicine (e.g., to treat infections). They are important pollinators of local plants that give life to the Amazon. This campaign also seeks to protect native species in general in this biodiverse region of the world.

EARTH LAW EDUCATION

Hot Off the Press: New Rights of Nature Book

Be sure to check a new book on the Rights of Nature, entitled Rights for Nature ("Rechten voor de natuur"), written in Dutch by Earth Law expert and ELC friend Jessica den Outer. A huge congrats to the author and everyone involved! Here is an (unofficial) description:

Can nature have rights? [...] In this book, Jessica den Outer presents the fastest growing legal movement of the twenty-first century: Rights of Nature. In more and more places around the world, rivers, forests, and mountains are designated as legal entities, just as companies are. Nature has a right to exist, flourish, thrive, and sustain ecological processes.

Den Outer delves into the stories behind the legal emancipation of fragile ecosystems in seven countries – from the mystical Whanganui River in New Zealand to the immense Amazon rainforest in Colombia. [...] In Spain, 639,826 signatures led to the recognition of rights for a severely polluted saltwater lagoon, the Mar Menor. In the Netherlands and Belgium, too, more and more people are standing up for nature. Fifty years from now, history books will record that this was the revolutionary moment when our world view began to tilt.