Photo above: Judges at the International Tribunal for the Rights of Nature, January 2014, Quito, Ecuador.
FOR A COPY OF THE JUDGEMENT FOR THE GREAT BARRIER REEF CASE, HANDED DOWN BY THE INTERNATIONAL RIGHTS OF NATURE TRIBUNAL IN DECEMBER 2015, PLEASE CLICK HERE.
OVERVIEW
The International Tribunal for the Rights of Nature was created by the Global Alliance for the Rights of Nature in January 2014. The Tribunal has been created as a permanent tribunal and it will hear cases from around the world on an ongoing basis. The Tribunal was created by leaders of the Rights of Nature movement in response to concerns that current national and international legal systems do not protect the natural world. The Tribunal aims to create a forum for people from all around the world to give a voice to protest the destruction of the Earth—destruction that is often sanctioned by Governments and Corporations—and to make recommendations about Earth’s protection and restoration. The Tribunal also has a strong focus on enabling indigenous people to share their unique concerns and solutions about land, water and culture with the global community.
Through its deliberations and decisions, the Tribunal will build a new jurisprudence for the Earth, and for the rights of nature. It will draw on the Declaration of the Rights of Mother Earth to determine cases where the rights of nature have been, or are going to be, violated. For Ecuadorian cases, the Tribunal will also draw on the Ecuadorian Constitution, which recognises the rights of nature. The Tribunal will hear cases, work with local lawyers to carry out detailed investigations of factual evidence and make rulings and decisions. The Tribunal will represent the Earth community, and lead the way in showing how our legal systems should be used to protect the natural world.
- To watch a video about the origins and role of the Tribunal, please click here.
- To read "A Tribunal for Earth: Why It Matters", by Cormac Cullinan (author of "Wild Law"), please click here.
- To read "Finally Being Heard: The Rights of Nature Tribunal and the Great Barrier Reef Case", by AELA's National Convenor, Dr Michelle Maloney, please click here.
GREAT BARRIER REEF CASE - INTERNATIONAL RIGHTS OF NATURE TRIBUNAL 2014/2015
Australia's Great Barrier Reef was accepted as one of the first eight cases to be heard by the International Tribunal for the Rights of Nature and Mother Earth, on Friday 17th January 2014. The Australian Earth Laws Alliance acted as Lawyers for the Great Barrier Reef in the International Tribunal.
AELA's National Convenor, Dr Michelle Maloney, represented the Great Barrier Reef and submitted details to the Tribunal about the threats facing the Reef from increased coal ports, shipping and coal mining/climate change. The case was accepted as one of the first to be heard by the new Tribunal in January 2014.
In Australia, AELA hosted a Regional Chamber of the International Tribunal on the Rights of Mother Earth in Brisbane on 15th October 2014, to hear further from local experts and concerned citizens. For information about this Regional Tribunal, please click here and if you'd like to view video footage from the Regional Tribunal, please visit AELA's Youtube channel by clicking here.
Recommendations about the Great Barrier Reef case were made by the Second International Tribunal, in Lima, Peru on 5-6 December. A formal written judgment about the Great Barrier Reef Case was handed down at the Third International Tribunal, being held in Paris in December 2015.
FOR A COPY OF THE JUDGEMENT FOR THE GREAT BARRIER REEF CASE, HANDED DOWN BY THE INTERNATIONAL RIGHTS OF NATURE TRIBUNAL IN DECEMBER 2015, PLEASE CLICK HERE.
Picture below: AELA's National Convenor, Michelle Maloney, speaks for the Great Barrier Reef at the International Tribunal for the Rights of Nature, January 2014, Quito, Ecuador.
