Join us for a journey into the rights of nature movement. This first module will explore the Indigenous origins of this growing movement to recognize the legally enforceable rights of nature, examine where rights of nature laws have been passed and the common elements of those laws, and review enforcement cases filed by Indigenous communities, governments, and organizations.

This module will be led by Thomas Linzey and Mari Margil of the Center for Democratic and Environmental Rights (CDER), who drafted the first rights of nature law in the world in the borough of Tamaqua, Pennsylvania; and who assisted the Ecuadorian Constituent Assembly with drafting language for the Ecuadorian Constitution - the first national constitution in the world to recognize the rights of nature. Discussion and Q&A at the end will offer plenty of time for exploring these topics in depth, guided by attendee participation.

This second module on the rights of nature will focus on Ecuador. It will feature a review of the constitutional provisions adopted by the people of Ecuador in 2008, and give a detailed look at enforcement cases, including the Los Cedros cloud forest litigation, that have been brought to the Ecuador Constitutional Court.

This module will be led by Dr. Hugo Echeverria, one of the foremost global legal authorities on the rights of nature, who is CDER’s Quito-based attorney. Dr. Echeverria will give a preview of upcoming rights of nature cases in Ecuador’s Constitutional Court, as jurisprudence around the rights of nature continues to evolve. Ample discussion and a question/answer period at the end will allow attendees to explore issues related to the pioneering work of Ecuadorians in making the rights of nature a reality, both in Ecuador, as well as in other countries that have built on that work. This module will also feature commentary by Thomas Linzey and Mari Margil of the Center for Democratic and Environmental Rights.

This third module will focus on the activist side of the rights of nature training, and will be led by Frank Bibeau, tribal attorney for the White Earth Band of Ojibwe. Bibeau will speak about tribal rights of nature laws, and how recognition and enforcement of those laws are intertwined with tribal treaty rights. Bibeau will also talk about his experience with drafting the rights of Manoomin (wild rice) law adopted by the White Earth Band in 2018, and the case brought to enforce the law in 2021 in tribal court.

This module will examine rights of nature laws passed across the U.S., by both tribal and municipal communities, and review the challenges posed by moving local laws forward in U.S. cities, towns, villages, and counties. The module will also review the effort in North Carolina to advance a state bill focused on recognizing the rights of the Haw River. Overall, attendees will gain an understanding of where these laws have been passed, their common elements, and challenges for moving laws forward at municipal and tribal levels. Discussion and question/answer at the end of this module will allow for further exploration of these topics, and Thomas Linzey and Mari Margil will facilitate the module and be available for question/answer and discussion for the last part of the module.

This module will also be focused on the activist side of the rights of nature movement. It will feature a case study, drawn from attendees, of how to move a rights of nature law through a particular municipality in a particular state. It will examine the choices available to organizers, including the availability of ballot initiative processes, and state-specific requirements for municipal lawmaking. It will also feature a section on countering real-life opposition arguments, what campaigns look like for rights of nature laws, and strategies for moving forward in places where attendees are located. This module will be focused on an interactive model - with the case study allowing application to other municipalities, and so attendees should be willing to participate in conversations about their communities. It will be led by Thomas Linzey and Mari Margil of the Center for Democratic and Environmental Rights.