Rights of nature framework an approach towards promoting ecosystem protection and restoration in the Philippines

Abstract

This paper aims to present and introduce the Rights of Nature concept as a growing global framework movement that seeks to protect the environment by recognizing that nature, particularly ecosystems, like humans, have intrinsic rights to live.

The Rights of Nature framework acknowledges that ecosystems and natural communities are not mere assets subject to ownership; instead, they are living entities with an inherent and unassailable right to thrive and endure. Its mission is to promote the preservation and revitalization of ecosystems.

As of 2022, 24 countries, including Colombia, New Zealand, Bangladesh, Australia, India, seven Tribal Nations in the U.S. and Canada, and over 60 U.S. cities and counties, have introduced laws recognizing nature's rights. In various parts of the world, local and national courts have granted ecosystems the status of living beings and, in some cases, personhood. New laws are continuously being developed to regulate and protect the natural environment. These laws have changed how we view ecosystems and natural communities, giving them rights that can be enforced by people, governments, and communities working to benefit nature.

In 2018, the Rights of Nature have been adopted in the Philippines. It is now a growing movement in the Philippines, and they are also pushing for a bill called the Rights of Nature Act 2022 that aims to protect the country's ecosystems by giving legal personhood to nature.