NYU Center for Human Rights and Global Justice’s Post

A thoughtful piece supporting the idea of granting legal rights to nature: "If the goal is a livable future, for which we need to achieve a paradigm shift from exploitation to conservation, the services these networks of life supply need to be fully and properly valued. Their right to exist has to be enshrined in law." https://lnkd.in/eJy5QHaC

What if we gave a voice and rights to ecosystems, plant and animal species, and future generations? What if the legal system represented all life on the planet, not only humans? Developed by grantee partner Earth Law Center, the "Earth Law Portal" is a gateway to learn from cutting-edge legal models and letters, particularly those being developed internationally, that recognize rights and honor the voice of ecosystems, species, & future generations while empowering local communities to create a thriving future. Learn more about this extensive, important and relevant resource here: https://lnkd.in/griH7pzV Learn more about Earth Law Center: https://lnkd.in/dkUMfgCN #SpiritualEcology #GranteePartnerResources

Legal pluralism is essential to understanding Indigenous-led conservation efforts. Join us for an in-depth discussion on how Indigenous legal traditions intersect with Western law in the context of nature conservation. Don’t miss this opportunity to broaden your understanding!   For more information, visit https://lnkd.in/giQ5_EAH #indigenousledconservation #conservation #legalpluralism #indigenouslegaltraditions #cpd

LITIGATION UPDATE: We support strategic cases around the world so that – when nature is harmed – plaintiffs can take action to create accountability and secure remedies. 🌵 Today we can share details about an important cases, moving ahead in Italy’s Court of Ancona to protect endangered #cacti. PRESS RELEASE: https://lnkd.in/gdpVinan 🌵 Following the seizure of >1,000 rare Chilean cacti from a greenhouse in Italy, the plants will have their day in court. Alleged poachers face not only criminal prosecution, but also a civil case brought by an Italian conservation group that is setting important precedents. 🌵 Alongside IUCN Cactus and Succulent Plants Specialist Group, and pro bono lawyers from DLA Piper we are supporting Italy’s Associazione per la Biodiversità e la sua Conservazione (ABC), to speak for the cacti in court. 🌵 ABC’s case claims harm to its conservation mission. If successful, the defendants would have to compensate ABC – funds that will be invested into cactus conservation. This shifts our focus from only punishing environmental crimes and towards seeking remedies. 🌵 The case has already confirmed that groups like ABC have a right to join criminal proceedings related to offences that harm their missions. It highlights how conservation groups can give powerful, additional legal voice to #nature’s #rights. #GreenWave for #Nature #Conservation

🗣 A new case against illegal wildlife traffickers with a "special" twist: A few years ago thousands of protected cacti were taken from the Atacama desert in Chile and shipped all the way to Italy. Most of the cacti were repatriated back home and a criminal procedure is currently ongoing against the traffickers. Tomorrow a conservation organization will also ask for compensation for the harm this case caused to its mission. The twist: if granted, funds will be invested into cacti conservation. ➡ Legal analysis consistently shows the possibility for public authorities and conservation organizations to make those who harm wildlife liable in Court. ➡ In some cases national laws go as far as allowing "any citizen" to request remedies such as restoration, compensation and even public apologies. ➡ This legal pathway may be easily combined with the right to a healthy environment, rights of nature and ecocide. This is just the beginning of a #GreenWave for #Nature #Conservation

Cacti get a day (or few) in court! We at Conservation Litigation are driven by using the law to heal the harm to biodiversity and nature. Court sanctioned remedies is one way to do this. And so, with anticipation, we are supporting and looking forward to this case. In 2020, cacti smuggled from Chile to Italy were seized. Tomorrow, the court will listen to this case and the arguments for compensation for the harmed caused by poaching of the cacti. If granted, funds will be invested into cactus conservation! And so begins, our #GreenWave for #Nature #Conservation

The Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 is a federal law that protects roughly 1,100 native bird species, including their eggs and nests. This list includes wrens, finches, phoebes, hummingbirds, doves, killdeer, and robins—species that are commonly found nesting around homes. It's important to be aware of this law, as disturbing or removing these nests can result in serious legal consequences. Let's do our part to protect these beautiful creatures and their habitats. #MigratoryBirdTreatyAct #BirdConservation #ProtectNativeSpecies

🌿Nature Laws 101- What do landcarers need to know?🌿 Event by WA Landcare Network Inc. 13 Feb 2024. 1:30-2:30pm Online. WA Landcare Network's first Landcare Checks In session for 2024 with guest speaker Tarquin Moon from BirdLife Australia. Tarquin will present key reasons for law reform and the opportunities that this presents to create meaningful changes to protect wildlife and wild places. Some of the key topics that will be covered include: - Overview of Australia’s Nature Laws - How Australian’s are better off when nature is thriving - The key reform asks - The Governments commitments so far - How landcarers can be involved https://lnkd.in/gPhx_TFK.

Whales have captivated human imagination for centuries, inspiring myths, art, and literature. Their quiet wisdom and complex social behavior has historically stirred a sense of wonder and reverence, and many indigenous communities have long attached cultural and spiritual importance to whales. In honor of this tradition and in an attempt to protect whales, indigenous leaders of New Zealand, Tahiti and the Cook Islands have recently signed a treaty that recognizes whales as legal persons. Whales are currently threatened by human activities such as vessel strikes, and indirectly impacted by climate change and marine pollution. Advocates hope the declaration will help carve a path towards a legal framework to protect whales across Polynesian countries. Such an approach has been successful before, as New Zealand’s Whanganui River, sacred to the Maori  people, became the first waterway in the world to be granted legal personhood in 2017. “This declaration showcases the importance of indigenous communities and perspectives in the effort to better protect whales.” says CALS Teaching Fellow and Adjunct Professor Hira Jaleel, who teaches Aquatic Animal Law at Lewis & Clark Law School. “We will have to wait and see whether governments are willing to step up and enact legislation that could give this declaration binding legal force.” Read more about the treaty here: https://lnkd.in/gi65vnaH

Corals already face the immense threat of climate change, but they are also victims of exploitation through wildlife trafficking. Taken from reefs in Indonesia, Fiji, Tonga, Australia and the Caribbean, corals are being trafficked. Corals were the third-most-confiscated wildlife group globally between 1999 and 2018, making up 14.6% of all seizures, according to a report from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. Lewis & Clark Law School Clinical Professor, Erica Lyman, Director of the Global Law Alliance for Animals and the Environment, says: “Coral reefs pay twice for our greed. The corals that have so far survived the warming oceans, are harvested for display in home and commercial aquaria, amongst other uses. The fight for these amazing marine invertebrates is the kind of work that GLA prepares law students for.” GLA is a collaboration of the Center for Animal Law Studies and the Lewis & Clark Environmental, Natural Resources, and Energy Law Program. Law students (JD and LLM) actively participate in GLA’s work for academic credit. Learn more about coral trafficking: https://lnkd.in/gSc5cy9Z #animallaw #animalprotection