Dr. Peter Doran:

There are bits of European legislation, such as the habitats directive, where the intrinsic value of nature is recognised. It has to be said that recognising the rights of nature is a shift in the paradigm. It is a shift towards recognising nature itself, the landscape and all that allows us to live and realise human rights. At present, these aspects of the living systems are by default largely treated as objects or dead matter. This is because of the dominant economic narrative. Recognising the rights of nature signals an opportunity to recognise that nature is a subject of history. It always has been so but it has been rendered invisible and deprived of that agency. Recognising the rights of nature would also contribute to the expansion of having standing before the courts. In the event of a constitutional amendment incorporating the rights of nature, we would expect every citizen to have the opportunity to defend those rights before the courts.