The world is in the midst of the world’s largest-ever coral bleaching, due to over a year of rising ocean temperatures.
Coral reefs are the lifeblood of the planet – home to over 25% of marine biodiversity, and support over 1 billion people with a wide range of ecosystem services.
What if granting corals legal rights could help protect these vital ecosystems?
The Rights of Nature, a novel environmental law practice which assigns legal rights to nature, has been written into the constitution in Ecuador with 39 other countries, states and municipalities including the US and Ireland working to take similar action.
According to Rafaela Iturralde with the Global Alliance for the Rights of Nature:
“By recognizing coral reefs as living entities with inherent rights through the Rights of Nature framework, we move beyond traditional conservation approaches. Granting legal rights to reefs ensures their protection from exploitation and destruction while fostering a deeper respect for the interconnectedness of all life.”
