New Report Champions Legal and Financial Support for Earth-Centered Laws and Governance Ahead of Biodiversity Negotiations in Cali, Colombia

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 3, 2024

Contact: Grant Wilson (gwilson@earthlaw.org, +1-510-566-1063)

Cali, Colombia— As countries prepare for the next round of global biodiversity negotiations at COP16, a new report, Ecocentrism in the Global Biodiversity Framework, outlines how developing countries, in particular the least developed countries and small island developing States, can secure portions of the Global Biodiversity Framework Fund (GBF Fund) – intended to reach $200 billion per year by 2030 – to harmonize their legal systems with the laws of Nature under the framework of “Mother Earth centric actions.”

Earth Law Center (ELC), alongside Rights of Mother Earth, Lawyers for Nature, End Ecocide Sweden, and Keystone Species Alliance, released the new report highlighting the potential to include transformative Earth-centered legal commitments in national biodiversity strategies. Specifically, the report calls for countries to incorporate the intrinsic value of Nature, the Rights of Nature (or Rights of Mother Earth), and other ecocentric commitments into their National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs). 

Photo courtesy of Samuel LeGrys

NBSAPs are each country’s roadmap to meet the goals of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), the landmark 2022 biodiversity agreement aimed at reversing biodiversity loss and living in harmony with Nature by 2050. The report underscores that we stand at a unique juncture for nations to align with Earth-centered law and governance.

"To halt and reverse the biodiversity crisis, nations must urgently transform their laws and societies to live in harmony with Nature," said Grant Wilson, Executive Director of Earth Law Center and co-author of the report. "The Global Biodiversity Framework presents an unprecedented opportunity to advance the Rights of Nature and other transformative legal paradigms for the planet. For many countries, this could also mean receiving significant financial support, catalyzing a profound shift in how we relate to and protect the natural world."

The report further analyzes NBSAPs as essential roadmaps for implementing the GBF. It highlights countries including Slovenia, Aotearoa New Zealand, and Fiji that have already integrated ecocentric language into their plans. These countries are leading the way toward proving that legal affirmation of the intrinsic value of Nature and supporting the Rights of Nature can help achieve biodiversity targets.

Photo courtesy of Samuel LeGrys

The report also explores how to fund emerging ecocentric law movements. Target 19 of the Global Biodiversity Framework specifically allocates funding for “Mother Earth centric actions,” which are defined as ecocentric and rights-based approaches. This includes a range of commitments, such as Rights of Nature, legal guardianship of ecosystems, and Nature-conscious governance. The funding is primarily aimed at developing nations, presenting an opportunity to secure financial resources that can transform legal and governance systems toward Earth-centered laws. The GBF Fund is already operational and providing funding, as detailed in a chart in Section IV of the report, “Financing,” of approved Project Preparation Grants that highlight ecocentrism and Mother Earth centric actions). Yet it still has a long way to go to meet its $200 billion annual commitment by 2030.

One of the report’s key findings is the recognition of the intrinsic value of Nature itself. This principle is essential to transforming humanity’s relationship with the natural world. It calls for a paradigm shift wherein Nature is recognized not merely as a resource for human use but as a living entity with its own rights and inherent value. This shift is crucial for achieving the Convention’s 2050 vision of "Living in Harmony with Nature."

The report also provides an analysis of how ecocentric legal frameworks can be applied across various cultural and legal contexts to promote Earth-centered laws that support the health of all living beings. While Rights of Nature are an emerging framework in many countries, other ecocentric law movements that give Nature a voice or center the legal system in our connection with the Natural world are taking root in parallel.

Notably, the report was primarily authored by law school and undergraduate interns working alongside sponsoring organizations. These youth advocates, increasingly vocal in their support of Rights of Nature and ecocentric law, will join the Earth Law Center delegation at COP16 to engage with governments on how to implement transformative Earth-centered policies.

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Additional quotes:

"To achieve COP16’s theme of ‘Peace with Nature,’ acknowledging the Rights of Nature and Mother Earth should be at the top of the priority list of the Biodiversity Convention, not merely in the footnote,” remarked Doris Ragettli, Co-Founder of Rights of Mother Earth. “Just as the Human Rights Declaration paved the way for peace after WWII, we must now make Nature’s rights a global priority."

"Emerging initiatives to protect the Rights of Nature should be central to the journey to protect and restore biodiversity," said Jeremie Gilbert, an affiliate of Lawyers for Nature. "Our report shows that over 30 countries already recognize Rights of Nature through constitutional provisions, laws, or court decisions. Achieving 'Peace with Nature' requires incorporating these rights into biodiversity conservation efforts globally."

"The urgent need for societal transformation to meet the targets of the Convention on Biodiversity is increasingly recognized," stated Pella Thiel, Co-Founder of End Ecocide Sweden. "Truly transformative steps must address the root of the problem, which this paper does, with concrete actions that governments and other actors can take to move toward the Convention’s 2050 goal of living in harmony with Nature."

"It is incredibly inspiring to see people from all over the world with diverse interests uniting to uphold the intrinsic value of Nature,” said Emily Zinkula, a Stanford Law student who contributed to the paper as an intern at ELC. “For many of us, Nature's right to be protected feels intuitive. Seeing ELC and its partners tirelessly work to turn that intuition into a global truth is empowering. The recognition of Nature's Rights by global leaders gives much-needed hope, courage, and validation to a generation longing for it."