Challenging the dominance of ‘human supremacy’, these movements urge us to rethink our relationship with the more-than-human world
What would change if forests, waterways and wildlife were recognised as more than just resources? The idea has been debated ever since Prof Christopher Stone posited in a 1972 issue of the Southern California Law Review that trees should have legal rights. The concept is now gathering pace, with advocates calling for the more-than-human world to be granted legal protection, a voice in decision-making and even recognition for its creativity. Is this slow revolution finally coming of age?
In this mini series, we highlight five initiatives that are igniting action across the globe. Here, we focus on The More Than Human Life programme, The Fungi Foundation and Rights of Rivers
1) Challenging human supremacy
The More Than Human Life programme
Founded by Cosmo Sheldrake’s co-conspirator, César Rodríguez-Garavito – a legal scholar who heads up New York University’s (NYU) Earth Rights Advocacy Clinic – MOTH’s vision is rooted in the simple but transformative idea that humans are not separate from nature, but deeply interconnected with it.
Working across law, science and the arts, MOTH partners with legal scholars, Indigenous leaders, writers and musicians to challenge the dominance of ‘human supremacy’ and rethink our relationship with the more-than-human world.
MOTH’s vision is rooted in the simple but transformative idea that humans are not separate from nature, but deeply interconnected with it. Los Cedros Cloud Forest. Image: Robert Macfarlane
Initiatives include working with project CETI, the Cetacean Translation Initiative, which is pairing robotics with AI in a Doctor Doolittle-like effort to translate the sounds of sperm whales. Without a robust legal and ethical framework in situ, it doesn’t take a huge leap to imagine how collapsing the barrier between human and animal communication could be open to abuse, which is where MOTH comes in.
In the Brazilian Amazon, MOTH is working with the journalism outlet Sumaúma to tell stories from the more-than-human perspective. In Ecuador, it’s using data from underground fungal ecosystems to back the Sarayaku Nation’s battle with oil and mining developers.
Visit: mothrights.org
2) Working to give fungi the same status as flora and fauna
The Fungi Foundation
Deep beneath our feet lies an intricate web of life that keeps our planet thriving: fungi. These unsung heroes make up the second largest kingdom of organisms on the planet. They recycle nutrients, sequester carbon, connect forests and hold undiscovered potential for medicines and sustainable solutions. Yet in the realms of conservation and environmental protection, they remain largely overlooked.
Enter the Fungi Foundation (FF), a pioneering non-profit that’s working to get these organisms the recognition they deserve. Founded in 2012 by another of Sheldrake’s collaborators, Giuliana Furci (pictured top and below), the FF started with a bang by getting the Chilean government to include fungi in its environmental regulations.
Founded in 2012 by another of Sheldrake’s collaborators, Giuliana Furci (pictured), the FF started with a bang by getting the Chilean government to include fungi in its environmental regulations. Image: Daniela Torres
More recently, its focus has been on the Fauna, Flora, Funga initiative that aims to write this neglected kingdom into policy frameworks. October saw the FF collaborate with the UK and Chilean governments to bring its Fungal Conservation pledge to COP16.
It successfully lobbied the National Geographic Society to include fungi in its defnition of wildlife, alongside plants and animals.
“The integration of fungi into the narrative of conservation both deepens our understanding of ecosystems and invites us to consider our collective responsibility towards these often-overlooked organisms and the vital processes they oversee,” said Furci.
Visit: ffungi.org
The Fungi Foundation successfully lobbied the National Geographic Society to include fungi in its definition of wildlife, alongside plants and animals. Image: Hans Veth
3) Showing that rivers are living entities
Rights of Rivers
A world where rivers are not just watercourses, but living entities with legal rights? It’s already happening. More than 100 organisations from more than 20 countries have signed up to the Rights of Rivers Declaration.
Last September saw the Biobío River become the frst ecosystem in Chile to be granted a declaration of rights, affrming its right to fow freely and sustain the health of its surrounding ecosystems. The win follows years of campaigning by Indigenous Mapuche communities and environmental groups, who hope to shield the river from hydropower projects that threaten its biodiversity.
More than 100 organisations from more than 20 countries have signed up to the Rights of Rivers Declaration. Image: Biobío River by Isadora Armani / International Rivers
In the UK, Lewes district council made history last year when it agreed to develop a rights charter for the River Ouse.
Writer Robert Macfarlane has been a leading voice in the river rights movement. His new book – Is a River Alive?, out now – answers its questioning title. (Plot spoiler: with a resounding ‘yes’.)
Visit: Rightsofrivers.org
Main image: Daniela Torres
