Sovereignty for Nature and Natural Rights Governance for Sustainable Future

In the heart of the Amazon Rainforest, the Yawanawá women of Brazil—guardians of ancestral wisdom—gather each year in a vibrant spiritual festival that knits them ever more tightly to the living forest. Draped in traditional regalia and guided by the rhythms of their elders, they perform ceremonies using sacred plant medicines like ayahuasca and rapé. These rites not only honour their profound cultural heritage but also serve to deepen their communion with the natural world, reaffirming the rainforest’s role as the source of life and balance for all beings.

Together with the Yawanawá men, they stand as stewards of this precious ecosystem, actively fighting against deforestation and climate change by safeguarding their lands and ways of life. Their festival is a powerful testament to the inseparability of cultural preservation and environmental protection, showcasing how Indigenous wisdom can illuminate a path toward harmony between people and nature—and, ultimately, a thriving future for everyone.

This vision lies at the heart of Natural Rights Led Governance (NRLG). Unlike traditional governance systems that prioritize GDP growth, industrial development, and technological innovation—often at the expense of natural systems—NRLG begins with the radical premise that nature itself has rights. These are not metaphorical or symbolic rights, but real, enforceable legal and moral entitlements, rooted in ecological science, indigenous philosophy, and justice theory.

The theory of NRLG calls for a paradigm shift from human supremacy to ecological co-governance. It challenges us to rethink our place within the web of life—not as rulers of nature, but as one part of an intricate whole. Under NRLG, rivers, forests, wetlands, and mountains are not resources to be exploited but entities with their own rights to exist, thrive, regenerate, and evolve.

To realize this vision, NRLG proposes a set of foundational principles:

• Natural Rights to Life, Liberty, and Dignity must apply to both human and non-human entities.

• Nature Justice (NJ) becomes the guiding ethic for evaluating policy—where harms to ecosystems are not just environmental infractions, but violations of rights.

• Governance must be rooted in Natural Law (NL)—laws that arise from the inherent patterns, balances, and limits of nature.

• Institutions must practice Natural Accountability—where governments, corporations, and individuals are held responsible not just for their actions toward other humans, but for their impacts on nature.

• Equity, Integrity, and Shared Rights must replace privilege, exploitation, and private ownership of the commons.

• Communities must be entrusted as stewards—especially those with the most intimate relationships to their lands and waters.

• Conflicts must be resolved peacefully, grounded in respect for ecological limits and cultural diversity.

We have already seen glimpses of NRLG in action. In Ecuador and Bolivia, constitutions and national laws now recognize the rights of nature. In New Zealand, the Whanganui River has been granted legal personhood, with guardians appointed to represent its interests. In Bangladesh, rivers have been declared living entities. These changes are more than legal novelties—they are doorways to a different way of being in the world.

NRLG is not merely an environmental strategy. It is a justice framework. It affirms that the climate crisis, biodiversity collapse, and pollution are not technical problems to be managed—they are symptoms of a deeper governance failure. Only by restoring nature’s rights can we restore balance to our societies and ensure a livable planet for future generations.

The time has come to turn this vision into reality.