Two new coalitions, More Than Human Rights (Moth) and Animals in the Room (Air), are advocating for legal rights and political representation for ecosystems and species. Led by César Rodríguez-Garavito, Moth aims to establish creative rights for the Los Cedros cloud forest in Ecuador, which gained legal personhood in a 2021 court judgment. In a test case, Moth asserts the forest's co-authorship of a song with British musician Cosmo Sheldrake. This initiative reflects a growing global movement addressing concerns over humanity's exploitative relationship with nature and the limitations of the technology-and-markets approach to the climate crisis.
Adding a personal note, I find this movement intriguing and perhaps necessary, though I do wonder about the scope of potential impact, given nature's pervasive role in every aspect of human life.
Movement is growing to give legal rights and political representation to nonhuman animals, species and places