Cookies help us run our site more efficiently.

By clicking “Accept”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. View our Privacy Policy for more information or to customize your cookie preferences.

Accept Deny

GoGreenNation news

Granting legal ‘personhood’ to nature is a growing movement – can it stem biodiversity loss?

News Feed
Thursday, April 25, 2024

Getty Images/Amy ToensingBiodiversity is declining at rates unprecedented in human history. This suggests the ways we currently use to manage our natural environment are failing. One emerging concept focuses on giving legal rights to nature. Many Indigenous peoples have long emphasised the intrinsic value of nature. In 1972, the late University of Southern California law professor Christopher Stone proposed what then seemed like a whimsical idea: to vest legal rights in natural objects to allow a shift from an anthropocentric to an intrinsic worldview. Ecuador was the first country to enshrine rights of nature in its 2008 constitution. Since then, a growing number of countries have followed in awarding rights of nature. This includes Aotearoa New Zealand, where legal personhood was granted to the Whanganui River, the former national park Te Urewera and soon the Taranaki maunga. At its core, the rights-of-nature movement allows persons to take legal action on behalf of natural ecosystems, as opposed to on behalf of people affected by environmental degradation. Ecosystems can become separate entities with their own agency, in the same way other non-human entities such as charitable trusts and organisations can exist as separate entities in law. Read more: What if whales took us to court? A move to grant them legal personhood would include the right to sue But can the movement help stem the loss of biodiversity? There is no easy answer. Our new research shows that many rights-of-nature examples have emerged because current systems were not enough to protect nature from continued economic pressure from development. We find one of the key features of well designed rights-of-nature frameworks lies in defining who is ultimately liable, and what for. The Whanganui River in New Zealand was granted legal personhood in 2017. Shutterstock/Gabor Kovacs Photography Global case studies The design of rights-of-nature frameworks varies widely in geography, legal status, guardianship and who holds liability. We investigated 14 global rights-of-nature examples and categorised them by types of guardianship. For example, in 2008, Ecuador enshrined rights of nature in its constitution because of decades of pressure from large mining companies. This represents a type of public guardianship where every citizen has the right to take legal action on behalf of nature. In New Zealand on the other hand, the former national park Te Urewera was granted legal personhood with Tūhoe trustees as appointed guardians. A legal person is defined as an entity which has the capacity to enter into contracts, incur debts, sue and be sued in its own right, and to be accountable for illegal activities. We define rights-of-nature cases with appointed guardians as “environmental legal personhoods”. Read more: Rights for nature: How granting a river 'personhood' could help protect it We then compared these cases to explore why they emerged and how they are designed. Who advocated on behalf of the environment? What was the exploiting activity putting pressure on the ecosystem? What is the liability status of the guardians? We found that, overwhelmingly, Indigenous people and local communities acted as advocates. For example, the Whanganui River in New Zealand was granted legal personhood in 2017 as a result of hundreds of years of resistance by Indigenous Māori to aggressive colonisation. Since 1848, the Crown has introduced a steamer service, cleared forest from river banks, extracted sand and gravel, and diverted water into a power scheme. This led to ongoing conflict with Whanganui iwi who raised concerns about the river’s health and the desire to preserve the resource for future generations. Response to sustained economic pressure On the other side of the world, the Mar Menor lagoon in Spain was declared a legal person in 2022 due to strong local community advocacy against pollution from agriculture, mining and sewage. The evidence from our research points to a fundamental divide between local communities and external economic interests. The rights-of-nature movement has come as a response to sustained pressure from economic (urban, agricultural and industrial) activity. The features of design, however, vary significantly. For example, the Victorian state government in Australia established the Victorian Environmental Water Holder, an independent statutory body under the state’s Water Act 1989, as a legal person. It manages water entitlements to improve the health of rivers and wetlands. The entity acts indirectly on behalf of the ecosystems, which is not precisely the same as creating legal rights for rivers themselves. The Whanganui River, on the other hand, was itself declared a legal person. Its appointed guardians have the legal status of a charitable entity. This group includes representatives of Whanganui iwi and the government, supported by members of councils, locals, and recreational and commercial users. Liability matters The recent overturning of two rights-of-nature decisions in particular puts the spot light on the importance of liability. In the US, farming operations challenged the Lake Erie Bill of Rights in 2020, which granted Lake Erie the right to “exist, flourish and naturally evolve”. Farmers argued the bill was too vague and would expose them to liability from fertiliser runoff. In India, the Ganges and Yamuna rivers were granted living-person status, where injury to rivers was to be treated equally to injury to human beings. The decision was challenged on the grounds of uncertainty about who the custodians are and who would be liable to pay damage to the families of those who drowned in the rivers. Both these were legally overturned, meaning these natural entities no longer have rights of nature. This suggests attention to legally defining who is liability for what may be an important building block for the movement to protect biodiversity in the future. Our recommendation is that future rights-of-nature frameworks need to have well-defined legal rights and include appointed guardians, established as separate legal entities with limited liability, as well as the support of representatives from interest groups. This research was carried out in collaboration with my colleagues Claire Armstrong and Margrethe Aanesen in Norway. Viktoria Kahui does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

The rights-of-nature movement emerged as a response to economic pressures on ecosystems. But the success of projects depends on how well legal liability is defined.

Getty Images/Amy Toensing

Biodiversity is declining at rates unprecedented in human history. This suggests the ways we currently use to manage our natural environment are failing.

One emerging concept focuses on giving legal rights to nature.

Many Indigenous peoples have long emphasised the intrinsic value of nature. In 1972, the late University of Southern California law professor Christopher Stone proposed what then seemed like a whimsical idea: to vest legal rights in natural objects to allow a shift from an anthropocentric to an intrinsic worldview.

Ecuador was the first country to enshrine rights of nature in its 2008 constitution. Since then, a growing number of countries have followed in awarding rights of nature.

This includes Aotearoa New Zealand, where legal personhood was granted to the Whanganui River, the former national park Te Urewera and soon the Taranaki maunga.

At its core, the rights-of-nature movement allows persons to take legal action on behalf of natural ecosystems, as opposed to on behalf of people affected by environmental degradation.

Ecosystems can become separate entities with their own agency, in the same way other non-human entities such as charitable trusts and organisations can exist as separate entities in law.

Read more: What if whales took us to court? A move to grant them legal personhood would include the right to sue

But can the movement help stem the loss of biodiversity? There is no easy answer. Our new research shows that many rights-of-nature examples have emerged because current systems were not enough to protect nature from continued economic pressure from development.

We find one of the key features of well designed rights-of-nature frameworks lies in defining who is ultimately liable, and what for.

An aerial view of the Whanganui River.
The Whanganui River in New Zealand was granted legal personhood in 2017. Shutterstock/Gabor Kovacs Photography

Global case studies

The design of rights-of-nature frameworks varies widely in geography, legal status, guardianship and who holds liability.

We investigated 14 global rights-of-nature examples and categorised them by types of guardianship. For example, in 2008, Ecuador enshrined rights of nature in its constitution because of decades of pressure from large mining companies.

This represents a type of public guardianship where every citizen has the right to take legal action on behalf of nature.

In New Zealand on the other hand, the former national park Te Urewera was granted legal personhood with Tūhoe trustees as appointed guardians.

A legal person is defined as an entity which has the capacity to enter into contracts, incur debts, sue and be sued in its own right, and to be accountable for illegal activities. We define rights-of-nature cases with appointed guardians as “environmental legal personhoods”.

Read more: Rights for nature: How granting a river 'personhood' could help protect it

We then compared these cases to explore why they emerged and how they are designed. Who advocated on behalf of the environment? What was the exploiting activity putting pressure on the ecosystem? What is the liability status of the guardians?

We found that, overwhelmingly, Indigenous people and local communities acted as advocates. For example, the Whanganui River in New Zealand was granted legal personhood in 2017 as a result of hundreds of years of resistance by Indigenous Māori to aggressive colonisation.

Since 1848, the Crown has introduced a steamer service, cleared forest from river banks, extracted sand and gravel, and diverted water into a power scheme. This led to ongoing conflict with Whanganui iwi who raised concerns about the river’s health and the desire to preserve the resource for future generations.

Response to sustained economic pressure

On the other side of the world, the Mar Menor lagoon in Spain was declared a legal person in 2022 due to strong local community advocacy against pollution from agriculture, mining and sewage.

The evidence from our research points to a fundamental divide between local communities and external economic interests. The rights-of-nature movement has come as a response to sustained pressure from economic (urban, agricultural and industrial) activity. The features of design, however, vary significantly.

For example, the Victorian state government in Australia established the Victorian Environmental Water Holder, an independent statutory body under the state’s Water Act 1989, as a legal person. It manages water entitlements to improve the health of rivers and wetlands. The entity acts indirectly on behalf of the ecosystems, which is not precisely the same as creating legal rights for rivers themselves.

The Whanganui River, on the other hand, was itself declared a legal person. Its appointed guardians have the legal status of a charitable entity. This group includes representatives of Whanganui iwi and the government, supported by members of councils, locals, and recreational and commercial users.

Liability matters

The recent overturning of two rights-of-nature decisions in particular puts the spot light on the importance of liability.

In the US, farming operations challenged the Lake Erie Bill of Rights in 2020, which granted Lake Erie the right to “exist, flourish and naturally evolve”. Farmers argued the bill was too vague and would expose them to liability from fertiliser runoff.

In India, the Ganges and Yamuna rivers were granted living-person status, where injury to rivers was to be treated equally to injury to human beings. The decision was challenged on the grounds of uncertainty about who the custodians are and who would be liable to pay damage to the families of those who drowned in the rivers.

Both these were legally overturned, meaning these natural entities no longer have rights of nature. This suggests attention to legally defining who is liability for what may be an important building block for the movement to protect biodiversity in the future.

Our recommendation is that future rights-of-nature frameworks need to have well-defined legal rights and include appointed guardians, established as separate legal entities with limited liability, as well as the support of representatives from interest groups.

This research was carried out in collaboration with my colleagues Claire Armstrong and Margrethe Aanesen in Norway.

The Conversation

Viktoria Kahui does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

Read the full story here.
Photos courtesy of

Related News

Cairngorms estate goes back on sale after criticism of ‘green laird’ owner

Campaigners say sudden sale suggests Abrdn’s use of Scottish countryside was ‘get-rich-quick scheme’A Scottish estate that became a lightning rod for disputes over wealthy “green lairds” buying up the Highlands has been unexpectedly put up for sale.The Far Ralia estate in the Cairngorms has gone on the market for £12m, three years after it was bought for £7.5m by an investment trust run by Standard Life, now Abrdn, as a way to offset carbon emissions from its properties. Continue reading...

A Scottish estate that became a lightning rod for disputes over wealthy “green lairds” buying up the Highlands has been unexpectedly put up for sale.The Far Ralia estate in the Cairngorms has gone on the market for £12m, three years after it was bought for £7.5m by an investment trust run by Standard Life, now Abrdn, as a way to offset carbon emissions from its properties.Its purchase led to a row with land reform campaigners, who argue this approach treats the Highlands as a commodity for wealthy absentee investors, driving up land prices while exploiting public subsidies and tax breaks for private gain.The estate, a former grouse- and deer-shooting estate covering 1,462 hectares (3,613 acres) in the Cairngorms national park, was bought by the trust as a long-term carbon offsetting, sequestration and nature recovery project.Now known as Abrdn Property Income Trust, it has so far planted 1.2m native trees including Scots pine, birch, oak, rowan and aspen, after winning £2.56m in public subsidies to help cover its costs. It has a further 200 hectares of damaged peatland to restore.In an effort to demonstrate its environmental credentials and counter criticisms of its construction work, the trust hired biodiversity specialists at the Natural History Museum to evaluate the project’s biological benefits.The museum’s team said Far Ralia’s “biodiversity intactness index” would increase from 51% at present to 94% in about 75 years – a figure land reform campaigners with Parkswatch Scotland decried as crude and badly evidenced.The estate agency Knight Frank has told potential buyers they can use it to sell carbon credits, a mechanism corporations use to continue emitting CO2. A Guardian investigation last year found most carbon offset projects were “likely junk”.Knight Frank forecasts that up to 1.5m trees can be planted, offsetting 346,000 tonnes of carbon over the next 100 years. Unusually, the estate’s next owner will have very little work to do to earn the carbon credits because nearly all the planting is completed or under way.The trust is selling all its properties and investments after a steep fall in profits from property and rising costs. Abrdn and its predecessor Standard Life had run the trust for 20 years. It was seen as one of its flagship investment vehicles.Fraser Green, Abrdn’s head of natural capital investment, said: “Stakeholders of all kinds, including investors, are increasingly conscious of the need to better manage their carbon footprint and investing in environmentally beneficial projects can play a useful role in helping them do that.”Andy Wightman, a land reform campaigner, said the sudden sale suggested Far Ralia was simply “another get-rich-quick scheme”.“National parks should be centres of excellence in nature restoration but this is best done by placing legal duties on all landowners to restore nature rather than relying on financial schemes by offshore property investors.”

Nature
Business

Oxygen discovery defies knowledge of the deep ocean

The discovery that lumps of metal on the seafloor produce oxygen raises questions over plans to mine the deep ocean.

Oxygen discovery defies knowledge of the deep oceanGetty ImagesUntil this discovery, it was believed that oxygen could not be produced without sunlightScientists have discovered “dark oxygen” being produced in the deep ocean, apparently by lumps of metal on the seafloor.About half the oxygen we breathe comes from the ocean. But, before this discovery, it was understood that it was made by marine plants photosynthesising - something that requires sunlight. Here, at depths of 5km, where no sunlight can penetrate, the oxygen appears to be produced by naturally occurring metallic “nodules” which split seawater - H2O - into hydrogen and oxygen. Several mining companies have plans to collect these nodules, which marine scientists fear could disrupt the newly discovered process - and damage any marine life that depends on the oxygen they make.NOC/NHM/NERC SMARTEX The potato-sized metal nodules look like rocks, littering parts of the deep seabed“I first saw this in 2013 - an enormous amount of oxygen being produced at the seafloor in complete darkness,” explains lead researcher Prof Andrew Sweetman from the Scottish Association for Marine Science. “I just ignored it, because I’d been taught - you only get oxygen through photosynthesis.“Eventually, I realised that for years I’d been ignoring this potentially huge discovery,” he told BBC News.He and his colleagues carried out their research in an area of the deep sea between Hawaii and Mexico - part of a vast swathe of seafloor that is covered with these metal nodules. The nodules form when dissolved metals in seawater collect on fragments of shell - or other debris. It's a process that takes millions of years. And because these nodules contain metals like lithium, cobalt and copper - all of which are needed to make batteries - many mining companies are developing technology to collect them and bring them to the surface. But Prof Sweetman says the dark oxygen they make could also support life on the seafloor. And his discovery, published in the journal Nature Geoscience, raises new concerns about the risks of proposed deep-sea mining ventures.Science Photo Library/NOAAThe scientists worked out that the metal nodules are able to make oxygen precisely because they act like batteries.“If you put a battery into seawater, it starts fizzing,” explained Prof Sweetman. “That’s because the electric current is actually splitting seawater into oxygen and hydrogen [which are the bubbles]. We think that’s happening with these nodules in their natural state.”“It's like a battery in a torch,” he added. “You put one battery in, it doesn't light up. You put two in and you've got enough voltage to light up the torch. So when the nodules are sitting at the seafloor in contact with one another, they’re working in unison - like multiple batteries.”The researchers put this theory to the test in the lab, collecting and studying the potato-sized metal nodules. Their experiments measured the voltages on the surface of each metallic lump - essentially the strength of the electric current. They found it to be almost equal to the voltage in a typical AA-sized battery. This means, they say, that the nodules sitting on the seabed could generate electric currents large enough to split, or electrolyse, molecules of seawater.The researchers think the same process - battery-powered oxygen production that requires no light and no biological process - could be happening on other moons and planets, creating oxygen-rich environments where life could thrive.Camille BridgewaterThe researchers measured the voltages on the surfaces of the metallic nodulesThe Clarion-Clipperton Zone, where the discovery was made, is a site already being explored by a number of seabed mining companies, which are developing technology to collect the nodules and bring them to a ship at the surface.The US National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration has warned that this seabed mining could “result in the destruction of life and the seabed habitat in the mined areas”. More than 800 marine scientists from 44 countries have signed a petition highlighting the environmental risks and calling for a pause on mining activity.New species are being discovered in the deep ocean all the time - it is often said that we know more about the surface of the Moon than we do about the deep sea. And this discovery suggests that the nodules themselves could be providing the oxygen to support life there.Prof Murray Roberts, a marine biologist from the Univerisity of Edinburgh is one of the scientists who signed the seabed mining petition. “There’s already overwhelming evidence that strip mining deep-sea nodule fields will destroy ecosystems we barely understand,” he told BBC News.“Because these fields cover such huge areas of our planet it would be crazy to press ahead with deep-sea mining knowing they may be a significant source of oxygen production.”Prof Sweetman added: “I don't see this study as something that will put an end to mining.“[But] we need to explore it in greater detail and we need to use this information and the data we gather in future if we are going to go into the deep ocean and mine it in the most environmentally friendly way possible.”

Nature
Science
Technology

Decoding Titan’s Hydrocarbon Seas: Cassini’s Latest Radar Revelations on Saturn’s Largest Moon

Researchers from Cornell University have utilized bistatic radar data from Cassini’s flybys of Titan to analyze the surface properties of its hydrocarbon seas. The study...

This composite image shows an infrared view of Saturn’s moon Titan from NASA’s Cassini spacecraft, acquired during the mission’s “T-114” flyby on November 13, 2015. New research on Titan’s seas using Cassini’s radar data shows varied surface compositions and slight roughness differences, highlighting complex environmental interactions on Saturn’s moon. Credit: NASAResearchers from Cornell University have utilized bistatic radar data from Cassini’s flybys of Titan to analyze the surface properties of its hydrocarbon seas. The study identifies variations in surface roughness and composition, suggesting diverse geological and meteorological processes at work.A new study of radar experiment data from the Cassini-Huygens mission to Saturn has yielded fresh insights related to the makeup and activity of the liquid hydrocarbon seas near the north pole of Titan, the largest of Saturn’s 146 known moons.The key takeaway: Using data from several bistatic radar experiments, a Cornell University-led research team was able to separately analyze and estimate the composition and roughness of Titan’s sea surfaces, something previous analyses of monostatic radar data were unable to achieve. This will help pave the way for future combined examinations of the nature of Titan’s seas using Cassini data. Valerio Poggiali, research associate at Cornell University, is lead author of “Surface Properties of the Seas of Titan as Revealed by Cassini Mission Bistatic Radar Experiments,” which was published on July 16 in Nature Communications.Artist’s depiction of NASA’s Cassini during its 2017 “grand finale,” in which the spacecraft dove between Saturn and its rings multiple times before purposefully crashing into the planet’s atmosphere. Credit: NASA/JPL-CaltechBistatic Radar ExperimentsA bistatic radar experiment involves aiming a radio beam from the spacecraft at the target – in this case Titan – where it is reflected toward the receiving antenna on Earth. This surface reflection is polarized – meaning that it provides information collected from two independent perspectives, as opposed to the one provided by monostatic radar data, where the reflected signal returns to the spacecraft.“The main difference,” Poggiali said, “is that the bistatic information is a more complete dataset and is sensitive to both the composition of the reflecting surface and to its roughness.”Findings From Titan’s Polar SeasThe current work used four bistatic radar observations, collected by Cassini during four flybys in 2014 – on May 17, June 18, October 24, and in 2016 – on November 14. For each, surface reflections were observed as the spacecraft neared its closest approach to Titan (ingress), and again as it moved away (egress). The team analyzed data from the egress observations of Titan’s three large polar seas: Kraken Mare, Ligeia Mare, and Punga Mare.Ligeia Mare, shown in here in data obtained by NASA’s Cassini spacecraft, is the second largest known body of liquid on Saturn’s moon Titan. It is filled with liquid hydrocarbons, such as ethane and methane, and is one of the many seas and lakes that bejewel Titan’s north polar region. Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASI/CornellSurface Composition and DynamicsTheir analysis found differences in the composition of the hydrocarbon seas’ surface layers, dependent on latitude and location (near rivers and estuaries, for example). Specifically, the southernmost portion of Kraken Mare shows the highest dielectric constant – a measure of a material’s ability to reflect a radio signal. For example, water on Earth is very reflective, with a dielectric constant of around 80; the ethane and methane seas of Titan measure around 1.7.The researchers also determined that all three seas were mostly calm at the time of the flybys, with surface waves no larger than 3.3 millimeters. A slightly higher level of roughness – up to 5.2 mm – was detected near coastal areas, estuaries, and interbasin straits, possible indications of tidal currents.Larger than the planet Mercury, Huge moon Titan is seen here as it orbits Saturn. Below Titan are the shadows cast by Saturn’s rings. This natural color view was created by combining six images captured by NASA’s Cassini spacecraft on May 6, 2012. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science InstituteImplications and Future Research“We also have indications that the rivers feeding the seas are pure methane,” Poggiali said, “until they flow into the open liquid seas, which are more ethane-rich. It’s like on Earth, when fresh-water rivers flow into and mix with the salty water of the oceans.”“This fits nicely with meteorological models for Titan,” said co-author and professor of astronomy Philip Nicholson, “which predict that the ‘rain’ that falls from its skies is likely to be almost pure methane, but with trace amounts of ethane and other hydrocarbons.”Poggiali said more work is already underway on the data Cassini generated during its 13-year examination of Titan. “There is a mine of data that still waits to be fully analyzed in ways that should yield more discoveries,” he said. “This is only the first step.”Reference: “Surface properties of the seas of Titan as revealed by Cassini mission bistatic radar experiments” by Valerio Poggiali, Giancorrado Brighi, Alexander G. Hayes, Phil D. Nicholson, Shannon MacKenzie, Daniel E. Lalich, Léa E. Bonnefoy, Kamal Oudrhiri, Ralph D. Lorenz, Jason M. Soderblom, Paolo Tortora and Marco Zannoni, 16 July 2024, Nature Communications.DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-49837-2Other contributors to this work are from the Università di Bologna; the Observatoire de Paris; NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL); the California Institute of Technology; and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.Support for this research came from NASA and the Italian Space Agency.

Nature
Science
Technology

Colombia gives assurances over UN biodiversity summit after rebels’ threat

Organisers working to ensure safe environment for attenders in October after guerrillas’ warning of disruptionColombian authorities have insisted it will be safe to attend a UN biodiversity summit in Cali later this year, after a dissident rebel group threatened to disrupt the event.This week Central General Staff (EMC), a guerrilla faction that rejected the country’s 2016 peace agreement, said the UN nature summit Cop16 would “fail”, in a post on X addressed to the Colombian president, Gustavo Petro.Find more age of extinction coverage here, and follow the biodiversity reporters Phoebe Weston and Patrick Greenfield on X for all the latest news and features. Continue reading...

Colombian authorities have insisted it will be safe to attend a UN biodiversity summit in Cali later this year, after a dissident rebel group threatened to disrupt the event.This week Central General Staff (EMC), a guerrilla faction that rejected the country’s 2016 peace agreement, said the UN nature summit Cop16 would “fail”, in a post on X addressed to the Colombian president, Gustavo Petro.The warning comes amid a government clampdown on the EMC, which is active in the region near Cali where the summit will be held.The Colombian defence ministry said on Tuesday it had ended a ceasefire with parts of the EMC due to ongoing violence. A series of bombings and shootings have been blamed on the group.The Cop16 organising committee said it was working with local and national authorities to ensure a safe environment during the summit, which is due to begin on 21 October. They said they were closely monitoring the situation and working to establish the validity of the messages circulating on social media.“The safety and wellbeing of all participants, attendees and collaborators are our top priority. All security guarantees are in places to have a successful and smooth conference. We convey to all participants, delegates, media and stakeholders a message of reassurance,” the statement read.About 12,000 soldiers and police are expected to be deployed for the summit, which Colombia announced it would host during UN climate talks at the end of last year.The new UN biodiversity chief, Astrid Schomaker, said she was satisfied that Colombian authorities were taking the situation seriously and she was in regular contact with the Colombian government.She said: “We’ve all watched the recent tweets and other manifestations of armed groups in Colombia. The Colombian government is taking that very seriously. They’re trying to track where this is coming from. There are a lot of conversations going on. I am confident that the Colombians are taking it seriously and that everything is being put in place to make Cop16 a safe and successful event.”The 2016 peace deal between the Colombian government and the country’s biggest guerrilla army, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc), formally ended the longest-running war in the western hemisphere, which killed more than 260,000 people and forced 7 million from their homes. Thousands of rebel fighters demobilised but about 1,500 refused to sign up to the deal, and many more are likely to have returned to arms.Under Petro’s presidency, Colombia has positioned itself as an international leader on environmental issues, becoming the first major oil, gas and coal producer to join an alliance calling for a fossil fuel non-proliferation treaty at Cop28 last year.Petro’s government has had success in reducing deforestation. But the progress has been hampered this year by El Niño and tensions with the EMC, which controls large areas of rainforest and has been encouraging people to cut down trees.At the last UN biodiversity summit, Cop15 in Montreal in 2022, governments agreed a once-in-a-decade deal to halt the destruction of Earth’s ecosystems.

Nature
Climate
Government

Our cities’ secret gardens: we connect with nature in neglected green spaces just as much as in parks

The tangle of greenery along railway lines, flowers growing on vacant lots, or unmown grassy patches under power lines, it turns out people in cities engage with nature in all these spaces.

doublelee/ShutterstockAccess to nature is essential for our health and wellbeing. However, as our cities become increasingly crowded, it becomes more and more challenging to find ways to connect with nature in urban spaces. We know urban parks are key places to engage with nature. However, our research suggests informal green spaces – despite being unplanned, untended and often overlooked – are equally important. We have found people use informal green spaces, such as vacant lots and vegetated areas along railway lines, to engage with nature just as much as in formal green spaces. This raises the question: should we be doing more to embrace these neglected spaces? The vegetation growing along railway lines throughout our cities is an important example of informal green space. Jason Vanajek/Shutterstock Being connected with nature is good for us People living in cities are increasingly disconnected from nature. This has potentially far-reaching consequences. Studies have shown regular interaction with nature can be important for mental and physical health. Time in nature reduces stress and encourages mental restoration. Access to the natural environment is important for children’s mental and social development. People who do not interact regularly with nature have been shown to be less likely to engage with broader environmental issues. It’s a worrying trend, given the environmental crises we are facing. Despite the known benefits, interacting with nature is becoming increasingly difficult for people in cities. Urban areas are becoming more densely populated, increasing pressure on accessible green spaces. At the same time, the amount of green space in many cities is declining. This is due to rising urban density as well as changing housing trends. Traditional backyards are shrinking in countries such as Australia. In light of this, there is a growing need to use the green space available to us more effectively. Population growth and increasing density are putting pressure on green spaces in our cities. POC/Shutterstock The neglected value of informal green spaces Informal green spaces are the overlooked areas of vegetation scattered throughout our cities and towns. Think of the tangle of greenery thriving along railway lines, flowers growing on vacant lots, or the unmown grassy patches under power lines. These areas are not usually recognised or managed as part of a city’s official green infrastructure, but provide a unique type of green space. People report liking these spaces for their wild, unmanaged nature, in contrast to more neatly manicured parks. We know people use these spaces for a range of activities, from taking shortcuts or dog walking to creating community gardens. However, the extent to which people use informal green space to engage with nature has not been well understood until now. Our recent study sheds light on the importance of informal green space for access to nature in urban areas. We analysed data from citizen science apps such as iNaturalist. This enabled us to study how often people recorded sightings of animal and plant species in informal green spaces compared to their more formal counterparts, such as parks. It provided a measure of their interaction with nature. We found people use informal green spaces to engage with nature just as much as formal green spaces. Areas along railway lines and utility corridors were most popular. This may be due to their fixed land tenure. It allows people to become familiar with them and gives nature a better chance to establish on these sites. Street verges were also important. The data suggest they are as popular as private gardens for connecting with nature. While parks remain crucial, these findings highlight the important role of informal green spaces in giving people access to nature in cities. People often connect with nature in informal green space, such as this land left vacant after old homes were demolished in Perth. Purple Wyrm/Flickr, CC BY-NC-SA Rethinking how we manage green space in cities Our works shows the need to expand our thinking about how to improve people’s connection to nature in cities. It’s important to start recognising informal green spaces as a legitimate part of urban green space networks. We can then begin to consider how best to manage these spaces to support biodiversity while encouraging public use. This will present its own challenges. We’ll need to balance the needs of people with the need to leave enough quiet spaces for nature to thrive. A majority of the world’s people already live in cities. As urban populations continue to grow, so will the need for accessible green space. Formal parks will always be important to ensure people have regular, meaningful interactions with nature for the sake of their health and wellbeing. But we need to broaden our perspective to include a more diverse selection of green spaces. By valuing and integrating informal green spaces better into existing green space networks, we can ensure nature remains part of urban life. Allowing urban residents to connect with nature will promote healthier, happier and more environmentally engaged communities. Holly Kirk receives funding from the Australian Research Council and Ian Potter Foundation. Hugh Stanford does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

Nature
Animals
Science

Suggested Viewing

Growing Hope

This is a short film focusing on multi-generational tree planting and the long-term benefits for ALL. Growing Hope amplifies the message of the non-profit www.grandtrees.org and its initiative to plant trees by young and old for a brighter future for us all.

Plants
Nature
Inspirational

Tellus

"Tellus" is a love letter for Mother Earth which celebrates our connection with her - from pure joy and love towards nature’s elements, to our collective fears and worries about the damage that humankind has done to our planet, to an inspiring call for action and a hope for a greener, more united future. "Tellus" is a sustainable, female-led community project that captures love, concern and hope for our planet from voices across the world.

Culture
Nature
Experimental

Wings of Hope

“Wings of Hope,” is a film chronicling the re-discovery of a population of wild Harpy Eagles in the Maya Mountains of southern Belize. It details the history of the Belize Foundation and Research and Environmental Education (BFREE) and UNC Wilmington initiative born from this discovery – the Integrated Community-based Harpy Eagle and Avian Conservation Program. Created by Emmy-award winning filmmakers, Richard and Carol Foster of Wildlife Film Productions, this 20-minute documentary is rich with breath-taking footage of adult and juvenile Harpy eagles and other wildlife and vistas found in the pristine tropical forests of the Bladen Nature Reserve. Over the seven year duration of the project, the Fosters followed local people involved as they transition from trainees to conservationists and as their lives are changed through their efforts to save this rare bird and its diminishing habitat.

Animals
Nature
Conservation

A Year With Northern Owls

We follow five North American owls in different seasons; from summer heat to spring rejuvenation.

Animals
Conservation
Documentary

The Fabricated Wild

The Fabricated Wild explores the intersections between the natural and artificial within the Florida wilderness using personal film-making technology. Images strictly of the natural landscape are sequenced to break from traditional cinematic viewing techniques. Images foreground the natural Florida landscape in the frame and communicate how cinema fabricates the expansive wilderness. The Fabricated Wild frames the complex interaction between a frustrated filmmaker and the collective unconsciousness of the natural environment, a theory outlined by Carl Jung, considering the implications and discoveries along the way. The film frames the experience of interacting with and revealing the forest’s collective unconsciousness that is frequently hidden in cinema to call for an experimental way to engage with the natural landscape. 16mm, Super 8.

Nature
Experimental
Student

Join us to forge
a sustainable future

Our team is always growing.
Become a partner, volunteer, sponsor, or intern today.
Let us know how you would like to get involved!

CONTACT US

sign up for our mailing list to stay informed on the latest films and environmental headlines.

Subscribers receive a free day pass for streaming Cinema Verde.
Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.