NATURAL RIGHTS

Given our dreadful record in protecting our planet’s natural assets and biodiversity, isn’t it time we gave nature rights as we give to people? This may sound fanciful, but think about it: how much harder would it be to destroy a forest, a lake, a cave or a mountain if they were recognised as if they were legal persons? Much harder I think, and there are already such projects in countries as diverse as New Zealand and Bangladesh – all Bangladeshi rivers, which number about 700, have “legal personhood”. People are even beginning to go to court to defend a natural asset’s rights.

This may sound extreme, but when you read the latest State of Nature report (see my recent News item) and realise that environmental degradation by humans is now so bad it threatens our very existence, such policies must be worth serious consideration everywhere.

People are beginning to agree that natural assets like these and many others (see text) should have protection of rights similar to people (“legal personhood”) to halt their ecological decline and protect much more effectively the function of their ecosystems and biodiversity that are so important to human welfare and survival. (Photos from our own library – old meadow, dunes, heath, River Severn.)

Yes, I realise than many components of our natural world in Britain have legal protection through designation – Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, Green Belts, National Nature Reserves, Natura 2000/Special Protection Areas, Sites of Scientific Interest, Tree Preservation Orders, etc. But we all know these protections are often pathetically weak and can be trampled over by development planning authorities and the like when put their minds to it. Just look at the disastrous joke that is “Biodiversity Offset”, a scheme of false science being sold as ecologically acceptable when in truth it is a smokescreen for developers to buy their way to trash nature and habitats. 

I’d like to suggest that all our nature reserves and most of our rivers, many streams, native forests & woodlands, veteran trees, unspoilt beaches, old flower-rich grasslands, heaths, moorlands, peat bogs, lakes, lagoons, caves, ancient hedgerows, cliffs, old quarries, wilder uplands and such should all be considered as candidates for legal personhood. Come on politicians and legislators – get serious if you can remember the meaning of the word. Start setting the trend for real protection of nature. 

For more, there is a good article on this in New Scientist at http://bit.ly/nature_rights. 

Betts Ecology and all our staff think of nature, its vital importance to our wellbeing and survival, every single day and we work hard to protect the natural assets we manage and own.

 © Betts Ecology