Giving legal rights to nature

Can nature, rivers, mountains or animals, have legal rights - just like people? Legal rights will change the relationship we have with nature and that’s crucial to really protect the environment.

Recorded at the Australian Earth Laws Alliance's "International Symposium: Exploring our Legal Relationship with the Living World". 25 October 2018.

Speakers

  • Brian J. Preston - Chief Judge of the Land and Environment Court of New South Wales
  • Cormac Cullinan - South African lawyer and author of Wild Law

Listen to the audio on ABC Big Ideas.

Image: New Zealand has given legal rights to Whanganui River to ensure better protection of this habitat. (Jason Pratt / Flickr CC BY 2.0)